Times of the Islands Summer 2024

KELLY CURRINGTON
This male Peacock flounder is raising his pectoral fin, one of the first steps in the mating dance.
Don’t underestimate this serial lover, the male is also
a formidable adversary and protects his territory and his
ladies with an unexpected fierceness, running off any
other male attempting to play on his turf or woo one of
his paramours. These females are vital to the longevity of
the species as they can lay two to three million eggs each
year, increasing the odds of survival.
Since camouflage directly contributes to a flounder’s
survival, nature has equipped them with the ability to
blend into their background in less than eight seconds
by changing color to match their immediate environment
like sand and coral. This enables them to flee from predators
and hide in plain sight. In one study they were even
capable of matching a checkerboard pattern. (Can you
imagine how much fun “hide & seek” would have been
as kids if we could do this?) There is still a lot that isn’t
understood about how they control the change, but studies
have found that it is directly linked to their vision
and hormones and is controlled through neurotransmitters,
which send signals that mediate changes in the
melanophores. Different colors result from different concentrations
of pigment granules in different areas.
Though flounder do rely heavily on ambushing their
prey, they are also active hunters and can swim steadily
at about 0.37 miles per hour, hitting bursts of nearly 0.5
miles per hour. That’s pretty quick for a little flat fish.
Flounder prey mainly on benthic organisms (creatures
that live on the sea floor) such as small crustaceans like
shrimp and crabs; fish including anchovies, mullet, and
menhaden; and invertebrates.
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