Found an animal

Spotted sunfish

Lepomis punctatus — Sunfish, bass and crappies

What we have about this animal

Nothing is written about this one yet. The rules alongside hold whatever the animal is, and the people below can tell you the rest.

What it needs

Licensed wildlife rehabilitators do not take fish, so there is nobody on our list to hand this one to. What it needs is water, and soon: the five steps on this page hold for every fish.

True for every fish

01Get it back into water, quickly.Out of water a fish is suffocating. If it is alive and you can reach it safely, return it to the water it came from, near where it was, and hold it upright until it swims away.
02Wet your hands before you touch it.Dry hands strip the slime that protects its skin. Support it gently under the belly and keep your fingers away from its gills.
03Mind the spines.Catfish, stingrays and some others carry sharp or venomous spines. Move them with a wet towel or in a bucket, not with bare hands; if one stings you, get medical help.
04Never use water from the tap.Tap water is treated with chlorine that harms fish. If you must hold one for a moment, use water from the place you found it.
05Hooked or tangled? Cut the line.Cut the line close to a hook that is deep inside it and leave the hook in: pulling it out does more harm. Unwind line from fins and gills gently.