Flatfishes: Pleuronectiformes

Except for halibuts, which chase other animals for food, flatfishes lie on the bottom and ambush their prey, or animals killed for food. When flatfishes swim, they glide with wavy movements. Most flatfishes are active during the day, some around sunrise and sunset, and others at night. Flatfishes do not form schools.

Some flatfishes travel great distances to spawn once a year. Males of some species become aggressive toward one another during the mating season. Males and females probably pair up for spawning, or release of eggs. The eggs are fertilized (FUR-teh-lyzed), or joined with sperm, outside the female and drift in the water. When they hatch, flatfish larvae (LAR-vee), or the early stage that must change form before becoming adults, drift freely. After their eyes move to one side of their head, flatfishes live on the bottom.