History of the flounder
Flounder and other flatfish have evolved a lot since they originated over 50 million years ago! (That's a really long time ago.) They started like normal fish swimming vertically. The flatfish species in general though, didn't do well in terms of survival. They were often victims and were eaten by huge predators, including the Megalodon (biggest shark species) which the flatfish had no chance against like other fish at the time, causing it to switch to swimming horizontally. That must be a cool thing to see, a fish swimming sideways unlike any other fish.
Above: Oldest flatfish fossil (one eye each side, not yet adapted)
To prevent this, over the years (I'm talking like millions of years) the flatfish made some very useful adaptations which are explained in page 4. Nowadays, flounder survive much better and have become a predator themselves, considering that they crawl on the ocean floor without being seen.
To prevent this, over the years (I'm talking like millions of years) the flatfish made some very useful adaptations which are explained in page 4. Nowadays, flounder survive much better and have become a predator themselves, considering that they crawl on the ocean floor without being seen.