Paralichthys dentatus

This fish’s goal is to see the world.  Being a marine animal, his opportunities to see the interior is quite limited so he would love to visit the desert.  All he asks is that he be returned to the sea once a year to spawn.

2010 Little Rhody Micro-Geocoin - Fluke

Paralichthys dentatus (Linnaeus, 1766), also called a Fluke, is a member of the left-eyed flounderfamily Paralichthyidae. There are typically 5 to 14 ocellated, eye-like spots on the body. Like most members of the left-eye flounders they can change the color and pattern of their dark side to match the surrounding bottom, and are also capable of rapidly burrowing into muddy or sandy bottoms. The teeth are quite sharp and well developed on both upper and lower jaws. The average Summer flounder reaches sexual maturity at 2 years and weighs 1 to 3 pounds, typically 15 to 20 inches in length though they may grow as large as 26 pounds and live up to 20 years with females making up the largest and oldest specimens. Adults are highly predatory and considered mostly piscivorous, often laying buried with only their head exposed to ambush preywhich includes sand lance, menhaden, Atlantic silverside, mummichogkillifish, small bluefish, porgies, squid, shrimp, and crabs. While primarily considered a bottom fish they are rapid swimmers over short distances and can become very aggressive feeding actively at mid-depths, even chasing prey to the surface.

The Summer Flounder has a rangein the western Atlanticfrom Nova Scotiato Floridapossibly further south where the Summer Flounder may mix and be confused with its close relative the Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) which lacks the eye-like spots of the Summer flounder. Paralichthys dentatus is most common to the coastal and shelf watersoff of the northeast U.S. where they are commonly called Fluke. In the spring months fluke leave their winter stay in the deep ocean waters, where spawningoccurs, to move into the inshore waters along beaches, inlets, bays, estuaries, canals, and creeks where they will stay until autumn or even early winter.