Colorful fish — with flap that resembles a ‘long ear’ — seen in Nebraska for first time

In the depths of a Nebraska river was “something unique” — a colorful fish never before seen in the state.

While native to many parts of the Midwest and South, the 5-inch-long, 2-ounce fish caught the eye from an angler fishing on the Little Blue River.

“Whoa, that’s different,” the fisherman, Scott Buss, told Fox News Digital of his catch.

Buss inquired with Daryl Bauer of the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission to learn more about the fish, which featured orange coloring and turquoise markings.

Bauer, according to a July 24 news release, said his “day really brightened” when he opened the email from Buss to see the picture of the fish.

He realized it was a longear sunfish, a freshwater creature Bauer described as being “BEAUTIFUL.” In addition to its eye-catching appearance, it made history as the first longear sunfish documented in Nebraska.

Longear sunfish are native to more than a dozen states and have also been spotted along the United States borders with Mexico and Canada, according to the United States Geological Survey.

“Since they are (pretty), longears are frequently kept as aquarium fish and likely have been illegally released in waters in other states,” Bauer said. “That could have been the origin of Scott’s fish. However, I believe it is much more likely that during high water his longear swam upstream from Kansas.”

This particular longear was caught on a nightcrawler and was documented as a state record since it was the first of its kind discovered in the state.

Buss told Fox News Digital he used a “small hook and small bait,” which allows him the opportunity to “catch a lot of different stuff than just your typical catfish.”

Longears earn their name because of, well, their long ears. But what appears to be a “long ear” is actually their “elongated opercular flap,” AnimalDiversity.org says.

The 5-inch fish caught in Nebraska is on the larger side of the species, but the website said one 9.4 inches was found in Michigan.

This story was originally published July 29, 2024 at 10:23 AM.