Interactions  

Interactions with each other:
    The Lepomis megalotis mainly interacts with it's own species. The Lepomis megalotis tends to have aggressive and territorial behavior. According to Mullaney, when a larger sized Lepomis megalotis is placed into a 5 gallon tank with a smaller sized Lepomis megalotis, the larger fish will attack and bite the smaller fish until it dies (2003).

Interactions with other species:
    On occasion, the Lepomis megalotis will come in contact with their predators, such as the large mouth bass and birds. Due to the brightly colored scales the Lepomis megalotis has, it is very easy to be seen by predators in lit waters. To avoid these predators, the Lepomis megalotis will often hide in the vegetation in the shallow waters. Similarly, the Lepomis megalotis will also build it's spawning nest near vegetation and shallow water (Mullaney, 2003). More information about spawning and their nests can be found on our Reproduction page.

Lepomis megalotis pictured with another freshwater fish in shallow waters.