flounder

flounder facts

Flounder has a very thin body, and the flounder lives up to its name.

The flounder lies almost motionless in the sandy ocean or on the bottom of the ocean, patiently waiting for a tasty treat to arrive so it can feed. Its entire lifestyle and appearance revolve around the bottom habitat. It's an incredible display of evolutionary ingenuity. But some flounder species are in danger of being depleted due to their popularity as a delicacy.

5 Unbelievable Flounder Facts!

• The technical term for the type of benthic marine animal is demersal fish.

• Certain species of flounder are known as marine chameleons because of their ability to change color to blend in with their environment.

• Flounders are born similar to typical fish. A few weeks later, it underwent a profound metamorphosis and became a flounder.

• Flatfish probably evolved 50 million years ago. A fossil from that period suggests that certain species of flounder had evolved an eye on the top of their head.

• As a delicacy, halibut is usually grilled or broiled.

scientific name

The word flounder is not really the scientific name. This often causes quite a bit of confusion among people. Instead, it refers to the many different species of flounder that belong to four distinct families: Achiropsettidae, Pleuronectidae, Paralichthyidae, and Bothidae. All of these families are classified under the order Pleurophytes. However, not every member of this order is a flounder, as it also includes dabs, brills, sole, etc. Together these creatures belong to the group of ray-finned fishes known as Actinopterygii.

species

Plaice are generally divided into right-eye and left-eye families. The right-eyed family of Pleuronectidae contains about 100 different species. The left eye family of Bothidae and Paralichthyidae contains about 240 species. A fourth family, Achiropsettidae, has only a few species. Here are a few examples of common flounder species:

• European Flounder: This species occupies a large territory between the North African coast in the west, the Black Sea in the east, and the Baltic Sea in the north. The species is so popular as a food source that it has also been introduced to North American waters. The body is olive green or light brown, almost diamond-shaped when finned.

• Summer Flounder: This fish is found along the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada. It has dark gray or brown and rounded fins.

• Dusky Flounder: Up to 12 inches long, this species has a very elongated appearance with tan or brown scales. It is located in a body of water between the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula.
• Winter flounder: Also known as blackback flounder, is a right-eyed flounder native to coastal waters along the western North Atlantic coast — from Labrador in Canada to Georgia in the United States.
• Peacock flounder: Also known as flower flounder, this flounder is blue, pink, and yellow, like the sand in the shallow Indo-Pacific waters where it lives.
• European Plaice: This right-eye flounder is known for its sweet and mild flavor and firm, juicy texture. It inhabits the muddy bottom of the European continental shelf from the Barents Sea to the Iberian Peninsula and around Iceland.
• Arrowtooth flounder: This is the most common fish in the Gulf of Alaska and can be caught as far south as Santa Rosa, California. It is named for its menacing set of sharp, arrow-shaped teeth.
• Olive flounder: This rare flounder is also known as Korean flounder, Korean flounder, or Japanese flounder. It is a large flounder native to the Pacific Northwest made popular by the game Animal Crossing.
• Atlantic flounder: These flounder are now endangered due to overfishing. They live on sand, gravel, or clay bottoms at depths from 50 to 2,000 miles. They are found throughout the North Atlantic, including Greenland and Virginia in the west and Iceland and Europe in the east.
• Gypsophila flounder: Also known as millstone, grinding wheel, and long-nosed flounder, this common fish is found around the North Pacific Ocean.

evolution

Flounders in the flounder family are some of the most asymmetrical animals on the planet — and believe it or not, they're not born that way. They start their lives as ordinary small fish with swim bladders and eyes on the sides of their heads, before turning into the exotic Picasso fish adult form. In an evolutionary snapshot, their eyes moved to the top, their swim bladders shrunk, and their fins became all but useless in a matter of weeks. They start life as lively little fish, and then sink to the bottom of the sea, "struggling" on the bottom of the sea.

All of these strange forms began about 65 million years ago—and within 3 million years, their evolution was largely complete. Three million years, in the time of evolution, is just the blink of an eye. The flounder species are so diverse that it's nearly impossible for scientists to trace the degree of integration between the different regions of the skull over the 65-million-year history of flounder and their relatives without creating complex mathematical models. They found that, in flatfish, the evolution of the asymmetry involved changes throughout the skull. As the eye migrates – other changes happen, it becomes additive.

Still can't explain why flatfish like flounder change so quickly and dramatically, almost violently — while fish like stingrays just flatten out gradually. Sometimes nature's weirdness is what's most magical about it.

appearance

Flounders have an unusually flat appearance, well suited to their bottom-dwelling lifestyle. To see everything above it, the flounder has two large round eyes that protrude from a small stalk on the same side of the head. These eyes can also move independently of each other.

Typical flounder specimens are between 5 and 25 inches long (the largest flounder specimen recorded was about 37 inches) and can weigh up to 22 pounds. However, this doesn't quite reflect its true size, as the flatfish's round or oval body gives it a lot of surface area.

The flounder's scales act as camouflage, making it difficult for both predators and prey to spot it on muddy or sandy bottoms. Some species can actively change color to blend in with the ocean floor. This serves a dual purpose and also indicates the emotional state of the fish. For example, a pale color may indicate that the creature feels threatened.

Flounder comes in a variety of different colors and patterns, depending on the composition of the sediment it's in. Orange, brown, green, white or tan slate is normal.

Distribution, Population and Habitat

Flounder inhabit the bottom of the ocean near piers, bridges and coral reefs. Its main occupation areas include tropical and temperate seas off the coasts of Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. Some species also live further north near the Arctic.

An estimated 30 million flounder remain in the world's oceans, but pollution, habitat change and overfishing in the 20th and 21st centuries have depleted some populations. For many flounder species, there are insufficient data to fully estimate their conservation status. But when the data were available, the vast majority of species appeared to be in good health.

Conservation trackers are considered least of concern by the IUCN Red List. However, continued depletion of fish stocks could threaten many species in the future.

In the United States, NOAA is the primary government agency responsible for carefully managing flounder populations. The administration uses scientific data to determine how much flounder populations can be caught the following year, and then allocates resources accordingly between commercial and recreational fishing to ensure there are enough stocks to repopulate the waters.

diet

predator and prey

Flounders are primarily nocturnal carnivores, feeding on shrimp, crab, and other fish. Smaller species may also eat worms and plankton. The exact composition of the diet varies by location and species. Flounders are ambush predators that lie motionless in the ocean or on the bottom of the ocean, blending in with their surroundings before quickly snapping down their razor-sharp teeth on unsuspecting prey.

Due to their large size, flounder have only a few predators such as sharks, eels and humans. Camouflage provides the best means of protection. However, when exposed, it is very vulnerable to larger predators due to its lack of other natural defenses.

Reproduction and Lifespan

Breeding season for flounder typically occurs during the warmer months. Females release more than 100,000 (sometimes millions) of eggs from their bodies, and males release sperm to fertilize them. After a few weeks, the juveniles will hatch from the eggs. Spawning usually coincides with the most productive and plentiful time of year for food.

At birth, a flounder looks like a typical fish. It is born with a standard symmetrical appearance, with eyes on the sides of the head, and it also swims in the ocean like a fish.

After a few days, the flounder will undergo significant physical changes, the body begins to flatten, the swim bladder (which provides buoyancy) disappears, and one eye begins to move to the other side of the fish. Once fully developed, flounder can often live for 3 to 10 years in the wild.

fishing and cooking

Caught for both recreational and commercial purposes, flounder are one of the most popular deep-sea fishes in the world. It's usually fried, grilled, or broiled, but it can be cooked in so many ways and with so many foods that the variety is astounding. The mild flavor goes well with a variety of sauces, herbs, spices, vegetables and cheeses.

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