Fischatlas
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European flounder

Flunder

Scientific name: Platichthys flesus

NativeMarine

Behavior

A nocturnal flatfish that buries itself in sand by day. Lives in coastal waters up to 25 m deep. Highly salt-tolerant, able to enter pure freshwater. Migrates to sea to spawn, otherwise favouring estuaries.

Features

A right-eyed flatfish with a flat body. Usually about 30 cm long.

Distribution

Found along European coasts from the White Sea to the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Common in Germany along the North Sea and Baltic coasts, in river mouths and bays.