Winter Flounder
(Pseudopleuronectes americanus)

Flounder are strange fish because they are compressed so much laterally (side to side) that they have sort of fallen over onto one side. The "top" of the fish is actually its right side. Both of the flounder's eyes are on the right side. The left eye migrates over to that side as the fish matures. They are usually found laying in or on the sand or mud and have a geographical range from Labrador to Georgia, with a large part of the population in the Gulf of Maine. They feed on sight on various benthic organisms such as worms, snails, and crabs. The Winter flounder is thicker than most flounders. It gets its name from migratory patterns in the individuals south of Long Island, where they go deep in the summer and come shallow in the winter. One special adaptation of these flounder is that they produce antifreeze which gets stored in their plasma and extra-cellular fluid, so they don't freeze in the cold icy waters of the North Atlantic.