Squidding and FlatFish

We went squidding from 9:00-10:00 p.m. at Menemsha.  We saw lots of squid, but we did not catch any.  I caught fish and crabs with a net.  I caught a flatfish, possibly at the very end of its larva stage.  It was ¾ of an inch big.  Flatfish are born like normal fish, but they turn flat.  This is called metamorphosis, like butterflies and frog.  Their eyes rotate to one side.  At the beginning, they swim on the surface.  At the end of the metamorphosis, they swim at the bottom.  This adaption helps them camouflage on the sandy bottom, so their predators and prey cannot see them.  I think it is in its larva stage because it was still a little rounded, the eyes were still moving over the sides of its body, and it was at the surface.  

This is a video of the baby flatfish, possibly in its larval stage, swimming upwards and flat.  

This flounder is out of its larval stage.  You can see that eyes are on the top.

 

You can see that the bottom is a different color than the top.   

To watch a video of this baby flounder swim click here: http://www.greysadventures.blogspot.com/2014/07/techniques-for-catching-sea-creatures.html

These links will show you the metamorphosis of a flatfish 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/adaptations/Metamorphosis#p00f26xr

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/19844/20120518/biologist-passes-along-his-fascination-with-metamorphosis

This is a cool minnow that I caught.  It has blue spots.  I found it because I saw little glowing eyes.  

We caught 2 big lady crabs.  The lady crabs in the bucket fought.  At the end of the wrestling match, they were both crowned champions.