Stats

Lifespan: 4-7 yrs
Size: Small
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Freshwater wetland
Range: North America
Movement: Swimming
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Spines
Status: Uncommon

About

The Green Sunfish is a tough, adaptable native of North American streams and ponds, recognisable by its iridescent blue-green sides and bold turquoise streaks along its cheeks. It is one of the most pollution-tolerant sunfish species, able to survive in degraded waterways where few other fish persist.

Life cycle

1.
hatchling fry
A tiny fry hatches with a yolk sac and begins free-swimming once the sac is absorbed.
2.
juvenile
A juvenile takes on adult body shape and feeds on small prey, often in nursery waters.
3.
adult
Fully grown at adult size and coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Centrarchiformes
Family: Centrarchidae
Genus: Lepomis
Species: Lepomis cyanellus