What is the flounders predator?

The flounder is an ambush predator that lies motionless on the ocean or sea floor, blending in with the environmental surroundings, and then quickly snaps up the unsuspecting prey with its sharp teeth. Because of its relatively large size, the flounder has only a few natural predators such as sharks, eels, and humans.

1. What eats the peacock flounder?
2. How do flounder avoid predators?
3. What does summer flounder eat?
4. Where do flounders come from?
5. Is peacock flounder good to eat?
6. What colors are flounders?
7. What is special about flounder?
8. What is unusual about a flounder?
9. Where are flounders eyes?
10. Is flounder good for you?
11. Are flounder hard to catch?
12. Why do flounders have eyes on one side?
13. Can you keep flounder in NC?
14. How big can a flounder get?

What eats the peacock flounder?

Birds such as egrets, herons, and gulls, as well as marine mammals including seals and sea lions are also predators of flounder. The isopod Caligus pomacentrus is a documented parasite of the peacock flounder.

How do flounder avoid predators?

When flounders swim near the surface to feed, their skin becomes almost see-through. This helps them avoid predators below them. When they swim near the bottom, their skin can imitate the different colors and textures found on the seafloor.

What does summer flounder eat?

Summer flounder eat a mixed diet of fish and invertebrates throughout their life. Larval and post-larval flounder feed on zooplankton (tiny floating animals) and small crustaceans. Juveniles eat crustaceans and fish.

Where do flounders come from?

Flounder live everywhere from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Maine and all along the US Pacific Coast down into Mexico. They're hugely popular in Gulf Coast towns like Galveston, where they make up the “Big Three” inshore fish along with Redfish and Seatrout.

Is peacock flounder good to eat?

Peacock flounder caught mainly on hook-and-line, and with harpoons and beach nets, occasionally in traps. It is a very good-eating fish but not taken in sufficient quantities to be commercially important.

What colors are flounders?

The color of flounder meat varies significantly. You can find flounder fillets anywhere from tan, pinkish-red, to snow white, but one thing always remains the same: Their meat is stark white when cooked. Flounder are typically caught by hook and line, trawl, or trap-net.

What is special about flounder?

Flounder has oval, flattened body with large mouth. Tail fin is medium-sized. Flounder has bulging eyes on two short stalks that are located on one side of the head. Eyes can move independently from each other.

What is unusual about a flounder?

The flounder is morphogenetically unusual. When born it is bilaterally symmetrical, with an eye on each side, and it swims near the surface of the sea. After a few days, however, it begins to lean to one side, and the eye on that side begins to migrate to what eventually becomes the top side of the fish.

Where are flounders eyes?

This fish group includes species familiar to seafood lovers—not only halibut, but flounder, sole, and turbot. All flatfish have eyes on the end of stalks, so they pop out of the head “kind of like the eyes we saw in cartoons—ba-boing!” says George Burgess of the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Is flounder good for you?

Some studies also suggest they reduce the risk of heart disease. Salmon, sardines, tuna, herring and trout are fish high in omega-3s. Haddock, tilapia, pollock, catfish, flounder and halibut are leaner fish. However, Mitchell suggests making sure to have a mix of both fatty and lean fish in your seafood diet.

Are flounder hard to catch?

Flounder can actually be fished all year round, but they're easier to catch in the fall, between September and November, when they migrate toward the ocean. They spawn during the spring and summer, and when they're large enough, the swim to the ocean to spend the winter there before coming back.

Why do flounders have eyes on one side?

Wikipedia explains “as an adult, a flounder changes its habits and camouflages itself by lying on the bottom of the ocean floor as protection against predators. As a result, the eyes are then on the side which faces up. The side to which the eyes migrate is dependent on the species type”.

Can you keep flounder in NC?

The recreational flounder season will open Sept. 1 and close Sept. 14 in internal and ocean waters of North Carolina. The minimum size limit will remain at 15 inches total length, and the creel limit will remain at four fish per person per day during the open recreational season.

How big can a flounder get?

Flounder typically grow to a length of 22–60 centimeters (8.7–23.6 in), and as large as 95 centimeters (37 in). Their width is about half their length.