Head to head
Redeye Bass vs Alabama Bass
The redeye bass and Alabama bass are both native black bass species from the southeastern United States, but one has stayed put in the small streams it evolved for while the other has been carried far beyond its original range with serious consequences.
| Redeye Bass | Alabama Bass | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Micropterus coosae | Micropterus henshalli |
| Native range | Southern Appalachian upland streams | Rivers of Alabama and adjacent states |
| Introduced status | Not widely introduced | Widely introduced outside native range |
| Hybridisation role | Vulnerable to hybridisation from introductions | A source of hybridisation risk to other bass |
| Habitat | Clear, rocky upland streams | Rivers, streams, and reservoirs |
| Distinctive feature | Notably red iris | Close resemblance to spotted bass |
| Population trend | Decreasing | Stable |
| Diet | Carnivore | Carnivore |
Redeye Bass vs Alabama Bass: common questions
How are the redeye bass and Alabama bass connected through hybridisation?
The Alabama bass has been widely introduced into reservoirs and rivers well outside its native Alabama range, and because it readily hybridises with other black bass species, its spread has become a genuine threat to the genetic distinctiveness of the redeye bass and other native stream bass wherever the two species now come into contact.
How can you tell a redeye bass from an Alabama bass?
The redeye bass is smaller and shows a notably red iris, a feature that gives the species its name, while the Alabama bass closely resembles the spotted bass in general appearance, reflecting its relatively recent split from that species, and the two also differ in typical habitat, with the redeye bass confined to small upland streams and the Alabama bass tolerating rivers and reservoirs.
Which of these two bass species is more at risk?
The redeye bass is the more vulnerable of the two, confined to a narrower range of clear, rocky upland streams and directly threatened by hybridisation from introduced bass species, while the Alabama bass remains stable and abundant both within its native range and across the many other regions where it has since been introduced.