Cape Scaldfish
Arnoglossus capensis
Flounder
flounder
About
Flounder are flatfish that lie on the sea floor with both eyes on one side of their head. In this app the group includes the leopard flounder, the Pacific peacock flounder, and the wide-eyed flounder.
How to tell it apart
Look for a flat fish lying on the sand or mud with both eyes on top, often almost invisible against the bottom. This flat, both-eyes-up shape is the clearest sign of a flounder rather than an upright fish resting on its side. Members are told apart by colour pattern, which often matches the local sea floor, and by which side the eyes sit on.
Appearance
Flounder have a flat, oval body with both eyes on the same side of the head, unlike most fish. They usually grow to 22-60 cm long, though some reach almost a metre, and their body is about half as wide as it is long.
Habitat
Flounder live on the sea floor in oceans worldwide, often on soft mud or sand near reefs, docks, and piles. Some species also enter estuaries.
Behaviour
As adults, flounder lie flat on the sea floor and use camouflage to hide from predators. Young flounder start life with one eye on each side of the head, like a normal fish, but one eye moves across to the other side as they grow.
Diet
Flounder mainly eat fish eggs, crustaceans, worms, and small fish, ambushing prey from the sea floor.
Did you know?
A young flounder starts life with one eye on each side of its head like an ordinary fish, but as it grows, one eye slowly migrates around to join the other, so both end up on the same side.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
