Terrestrial Prey Items in the Diet of Largemouth Bass,<i>Micropterus salmoides</i>, in a Small North Temperate Lake

Abstract

ABSTRACT We examined the prevalence of terrestrial vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) in the diet of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from a small, unexploited, kettle lake in Michigan's Upper Peninsula from 1983 to 2004. The stomach contents from 3,873 bass contained 80 terrestrial vertebrate prey items comprising 15 different species. Numerically, terrestrial vertebrates comprised only 0.03% of the total prey items, and the frequency of occurrence of terrestrial forms was 2.1%. However, in terms of biomass, terrestrial vertebrates represented the third largest prey category (12.3%).