SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/fish-pumpkinseed

What tells a pumpkinseed sunfish apart from a bluegill?

A bright orange spot on the ear flap tip.

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  1. A forked tail
  2. Orange spot on the ear flap ✔
  3. A long whisker

Why: Sunfish look alike and even hybridize. The orange spot on the ear flap tip is a Minnesota DNR clue for pumpkinseed.

Huh, didn't know that: Breeding male pumpkinseeds have wavy bright blue bars on cheeks and gill covers.

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Where do fish work? At the offish.
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References

Answer: Orange spot on the ear flap. Sunfish look alike and even hybridize. The orange spot on the ear flap tip is a Minnesota DNR clue for pumpkinseed.

  1. Sunfish biology and identification (Minnesota DNR) dnr.state.mn.us/fish/sunfish/biology.html
    bright orange spot at the tip of the ear flap
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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