Facts about Flounder
- 09
Flatfish like flounder have eyes that migrate during metamorphosis, resulting in both eyes positioned on the same side of the head, allowing them to see upward while resting on the seafloor.
- 08
Flounder teeth are small and numerous, arranged in multiple rows along their jaws to grip slippery prey like small fish and crustaceans on the ocean floor.
- 07
Spawning flounder larvae are transparent and symmetrical, drifting as plankton until metamorphosis begins around 7 to 10 days after hatching.
- 06
Flounders possess asymmetrical gill structures that open only on their eyed side, forcing water intake and expulsion through a single gill chamber as they rest motionless on the seafloor.
- 05
The flounder's swim bladder is either reduced or completely absent, an adaptation that allows it to rest on the seafloor without floating upward.
- 04
A flounder's mouth curves toward its blind side, allowing it to consume prey while lying flat on the ocean floor without exposing its upper eye.
- 03
Most commercial flatfish species including flounder can live 20 to 30 years in the wild, with some individuals reaching depths of 200 meters or more.
- 02
Flounders can change their skin coloration to match their surroundings within minutes, using specialized pigment cells called chromatophores distributed across their flattened bodies.
- 01
Both eyes of a flounder migrate to one side of its head during larval development, a process called metamorphosis that occurs within the first few weeks of life.