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MBFin-tastic flatfish 🕺
Flatfishes spend most of their time lying on their sides, camouflaged against the muddy seafloor or buried in the sand. When it’s time to find a meal or to escape an unwelcome predator, they swiftly push off the bottom and swim into the water above. They gracefully undulate their flattened bodies to swim, employing elongated fins for extra propulsion.
These remarkable fishes are found in all ocean basins. Some live in shallow waters, while others thrive at depths of more than 1,500 meters (about 4,900 feet).
Observing and documenting deep-sea biodiversity is increasingly critical. Overfishing, pollution, and climate change all threaten the deep ocean. We urgently need to establish a baseline in order to monitor ongoing human impacts on this environment. Unraveling the secrets of these smooth side swimmers—and other life in the deep—takes us one step closer to making this possible.
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