The
sunfish is a common name applied to a variety of unrelated freshwater and marine fishes. In the United States the name is given to a group of freshwater food fishes in the family Centrarchidae, which also includes the bass. They are brightly colored fish, rarely exceeding 10 inches in length. The best-known species are the bluegill, or coppernosed bream (
Lepomis macrochirus). and the common sunfish (
Eupomotis gibbosus). known also as the pumpkin seed.
The ocean
sunfish is the giant
Mola mola, a strange fish which appears to be composed of a huge head with large fins attached above and below. It has a deep body, which attains a maximum length of 10 feet. These grotesque creatures often lie inert on the ocean surface, apparently sunning themselves. Their flesh is tough and inedible.
