The Pumpkinseed
Water is the foundation of life. Spend much time near a pond, river or even a ditch and its easy to observe some form of life that is either finding food there or is a potential food source for something else.
The approximately 1/4 acre pond near our house is a perfect place to observe the life cycle of so many species of animals, plants and insects, all relying on the water, and each other for survival.
One of the most obvious to witness this time of year in our pond are the Pumpkinseed bream, (Pronounced "brim"), Lepomis gibbosus.
These bold and bejeweled little fish are members of the sunfish family that includes approx. 37 species of fish, including crappie and large mouth bass.
Once water temperatures reach 55–63 °F in the late spring or early summer, the male pumpkinseeds will begin to build nests. Nesting sites are typically in shallow water on sand or gravel lake bottoms. The males will use their tail fins to sweep out shallow, oval-shaped nesting holes that stretch about twice the length of the pumpkinseed itself. The fish will remove debris and large rocks from their nests with their mouths.
Images from our pond
Females arrive after the nests are completed, coming in from deeper waters. The male then releases milt (sperm) and the female releases eggs. Females may spawn in more than one nest, and more than one female may use the same nest. Also, more than one female will spawn with a male in one nest simultaneously. Females are able produce 1,500 to 1,700 eggs, depending on their size and age.
Once released, the eggs stick to gravel, sand, or other debris in the nest, and they hatch in as few as three days. Females leave the nest immediately after spawning, but males remain and guard their offspring. The male guards them for about the first 11 days, returning them to the nest in his mouth if they stray from the nesting site.
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection" ~Sigmond Freud
The approximately 1/4 acre pond near our house is a perfect place to observe the life cycle of so many species of animals, plants and insects, all relying on the water, and each other for survival.
One of the most obvious to witness this time of year in our pond are the Pumpkinseed bream, (Pronounced "brim"), Lepomis gibbosus.
Once water temperatures reach 55–63 °F in the late spring or early summer, the male pumpkinseeds will begin to build nests. Nesting sites are typically in shallow water on sand or gravel lake bottoms. The males will use their tail fins to sweep out shallow, oval-shaped nesting holes that stretch about twice the length of the pumpkinseed itself. The fish will remove debris and large rocks from their nests with their mouths.
Females arrive after the nests are completed, coming in from deeper waters. The male then releases milt (sperm) and the female releases eggs. Females may spawn in more than one nest, and more than one female may use the same nest. Also, more than one female will spawn with a male in one nest simultaneously. Females are able produce 1,500 to 1,700 eggs, depending on their size and age.
Once released, the eggs stick to gravel, sand, or other debris in the nest, and they hatch in as few as three days. Females leave the nest immediately after spawning, but males remain and guard their offspring. The male guards them for about the first 11 days, returning them to the nest in his mouth if they stray from the nesting site.
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection" ~Sigmond Freud
Amazing, having the proximity to these fish to witness the entire lifechuckle!
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful having this living laboratory right where we live. There are so many things to observe and learn about.
ReplyDeleteSo grateful to witness this tiny miracle each year when visiting my horse. Thanks Hardy for teaching me and making my world bigger.
ReplyDelete