Flounders are flat fish found in oceans and estuaries on mainly sandy bottoms but have also been found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the planet’s deepest canyon (10, 619 m’s). Flounders are known for their “eye migration”. When they are young, flounders have eyes at each side of their heads like most fish but as they become adults one of their eyes moves to the other side. This happens when it starts to change its habit of free swimming to a lazier life resting on the bottom. Their camouflage is extremely effective, protecting them from predators and enabling them to be more affective hunters, for which they earn the title of “ambush feeders”. I hope you can see the flounder in the photograph. Just to the left of the centre you can see a triangle shape which is just behind the middle of its body and the eyes are about a centimetre to the right. I hope you like the photograph because it is not really that colourful but I think it is interesting enough to warrant me posting it.
Panther Flounder Reference: Australian Museum. Retrieved on 2/10/2011 from http://australianmuseum.net.au/Panther-Flounder-Bothus-pantherinus-Ruppell-1828
Wow! How on earth did you spot that?? Well done!