The scales on the eyed side are ctenoid and cycloid on the blind side. It has a total of 85 to 95 dorsal soft rays, and 63 to 73 anal soft rays.

Although its maximum length could be 45cm, it typically grows to a length of 13 centimetres. The Wide-Eyed Flounder is a demersal fish, found in shallow waters, over sandy and muddy bottoms of the continental plateau at depths varying from 5m to 400m. The genus Bothus belongs to the family Bothidae (left-eye flounders), order Pleuronectiformes (flatfishes), class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes), phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia. The name “Flounder” is used for several only distantly related species, though all are in the suborder Pleuronectoidei (families Achiropsettidae, Bothidae, Pleuronectidae, Paralichthyidae, and Samaridae). It is so logical and natural! I think it shows the potential of all species to transform and survive.Bothus podas, the Wide-Eyed Flounder, is a type of flatfish and is native to the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

If one of the eyes of flatfish didn't migrate to the other side when they are older, that eye would always be staring at the sand because of the way they lie down on the ocean floor.īut they have adapted to those conditions by having both eyes on one side. I think it's also a great example of evolution and how species adapt physically to changing circumstances. It wasn't until the fish moved that she spotted it! I tried pointing it out to my friend and she couldn't see it, even when I swam down and tried to show her. I know, dorky right? They are just so difficult to find, as they are the color of the sea floor and they kind of swish themselves into the sand as even better camouflage. I'd always wanted to see one and the first time I did it made me really happy. If they smell too 'fishy' they are no longer fresh.įlat fish might be ugly, but they are incredibly fun to spot when you are out snorkeling. I don't live close enough to him to take advantage of his flatfish lures anymore but I still try to get them at the fish market when they are fresh. I always check out all the crevices in the rocks to see if I can see one.īut I have to say I would rather spot a flatfish on my plate! My uncle used to catch flounder and let us have some and I think they are really delicious. July 16, - Another fun fish to spot when you are snorkeling or scuba diving is the moray eel.

Flat fish with eyes on top