They can also bury themselves quickly in the sand, protruding their independently moving eyes to keep watch without being seen. The fish expand and retract their chromatophores-pigment-containing cells-to quickly change color if threatened or stalking prey. Camouflage and reproductionįlatfish are masters of camouflage, thanks to their ability to mimic the various colors of the ocean floor. Once this change is complete, the fish will settle onto the seafloor, its dark back blending into its surroundings and its eyes well positioned for spotting predators or prey. Their pigment also changes, making them light on their belly side and dark on their back-a type of camouflage called countershading. About a month into their development, the fry undergo a metamorphosis: Their skull shape begins to change, and one eye begins to migrate over the fish’s head to join the other. How the fish become flatįlatfish begin life symmetrically, as regular-looking fish with eyes on either side of their head. Most species live in highly diverse tropical and subtropical oceans.
Well-known commercial fish, including flounder, halibut, sole, and turbot, are flatfish.įlatfish range in color from a speckled brown, black, and beige, like a black sea turbot or spotted, like the blue-and-yellow peacock flounder.
There are 822 known species in 16 families, and they reside in oceans, estuaries, and freshwater environments in nearly every part of the globe. Flatfish are exactly what they sound like: fish with thin, oval or diamond-shaped bodies that are lie flat on the seafloor.
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