Winter flounder

The work of a curious fellow

The winter flounder is a right eyed flatfish. That means that if you set the critter on edge, dorsal edge up, and view it from above and aft, both eyes are on the right side of the head. This information is not particularly useful in the real world where the flounder lies on one side and the dorsal and ventral edges don't look all that different. Identification is further complicated by the fact that it disappears completely whenever it stops moving.

Flounder feeds and vanishes

Winter flounder have the ability to alter their color so as to blend in with the surroundings. This sand looking individual would stand out on the rocky background seen above while that flounder would be clearly visible on sandy bottom. Fortunately we are not troubled by the difficulty in sorting out right eyed winter flounder from left eyed summer flounder since we have seen no summer flounder in the bay yet.

Flounder at the bag

Flounder tend to move in quick bursts and then stop to take advantage of their expertise in camoflage. If pressed they are capable of extended high speed maneuvers.

Flounder pursuit by ROV

This flounder seems to stand unusually errect when it stops moving. Perhaps it is in hunting mode as opposed to hiding mode. The scientific name of these critters is:
Pseudopleuronectes americanus.

Flounder with sand dollars