Flounder: The Fish That Hides!

Flounders are like underwater hide-and-seek champions! They live in oceans all around the world, from cold, chilly waters to warmer seas. You can find them swimming near the bottom of the ocean, often on sandy or muddy floors. They like to be close to the shore, where they can find yummy snacks and a safe place to rest. Some flounder even live in rivers that flow into the sea!

Flounders have a secret superpower: they can change their skin color and pattern to match the seafloor! If they are on a sandy bottom, they look sandy. If they are on rocks, they look like rocks! This helps them hide from bigger fish that might want to eat them, and it also helps them sneak up on smaller fish they want to eat. It's like wearing a perfect disguise!

Flounders are sneaky hunters! They mostly eat small fish and tiny sea creatures like worms and shrimp. They lie very still on the seafloor, waiting for a tasty meal to swim by.

When the perfect snack gets close enough, SNAP! The flounder quickly opens its mouth and gobbles it up. They have sharp teeth to help them catch their food.

It's a good thing they are so good at hiding, or they might not get enough to eat!

Flounders are often found alone, but sometimes they gather together, especially when it's time to lay eggs. Female flounders lay thousands of tiny eggs in the water, and the males fertilize them. Baby flounders, called larvae, start out looking like regular fish with an eye on each side of their head.

But as they grow, one eye moves to the other side, and they flatten out to become true flounders! It's a magical transformation.