Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing sunfish. We've previously talked about the ocean sunfish on this show, but did you know there are freshwater sunfish, as well? Though it seems somewhat obvious, we feel it’s important to mention that these two sunfish groups are not related. We'll specifically be focusing on the genus known as "true" sunfish which includes bluegills and the pond perch, though technically speaking large and smallmouth bass are also known as sunfish, too! It should be noted that “true” sunfish are not related to true perches. Sunfish may also be known as bream but many other fish species are also called bream, so we'll be avoiding that name for this episode.

There are just over a dozen living freshwater “true” sunfish species. They're native to North America from Canada to Mexico, though they're a popular sport fish and have been introduced in places outside of their home range. This has led to harm on native fish populations as sunfish eat other fish larvae. They also eat invertebrates like crustaceans, molluscs, and insects (including terrestrial insects which they eat opportunistically). They can even impact mosquito control where they'll eat the species placed to help control mosquito larvae! So some consider freshwater sunfish pests, but others love them for sport and good eating.

Humans fish for and eat sunfish. For this reason, they're also commonly known as panfish! They are most common in lakes and streams where the water may be standing still or freely flowing depending on the species. Some species even move between these two habitat types. Some are able to handle saltier water and they also tolerate turbid, or murky water. It's not uncommon for these small fish to live among dense vegetation which affords them protection from predators. In fact, they're known to swim faster in open area habitats in order to avoid threats. Besides humans, other freshwater sunfish predators include largemouth bass, kingfishers, herons, catfish, snails, turtles, and more.

Fish of this genus are sometimes called eared sunfish because of the gill flap behind their eyes which you can see represented as a dark spot in this long eared sunfish. Sunfish have spines in the anal fin as well as their first dorsal fin. Their first and second dorsal fins are connected making them look like a single fin with a dip in the middle. These fish seasonally become bright and colorful as a display to potential mates. Male sunfish dig shallow nests in the substrate and entice females with flashy swimming and showing off their breeding colors. Depending on their size, females can lay hundreds to thousands of eggs in the male's nest. She departs shortly after and the male is left to defend their offspring.

Sunfish breed in warmer months, and it's not uncommon for sunfish to breed in large colonies with males positioning their nests close to one another. Though they'll fiercely defend their territory from each other, they'll also join together if needed. Against a dangerous foe, like a snapping turtle, all the sunfish in the area will come together and mob the approaching danger. In this way, the group can reduce predation where an individual male wouldn't stand a chance. They males remain at the nest until all the babies have hatched and dispersed about a week later.

It's believed that male freshwater sunfish live longer than females as observations have shown males making up a majority of the older populations. On average, they only live a few years in the wild. In size, sunfish range from half a foot to a foot (15-30cm) long on average.

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