World’s Weirdest: Flounder is Master of Disguise
Flounders use camouflage to hide from predators and get the jump on prey. But a sharp-eyed osprey sees right through the disguise.
Transcript
Flounder. The very word makes the fish seem helpless and confused. And that's just what they want you to think.
Their thin bodies and camouflaged scales help them look like the seabed.
Once within range, they strike with sudden speed.
This is a shrimp, AKA, dinner.
The flounder hides under a thin covering of sand. Only its eyes peek out.
Strangely enough, when a flounder is born, its eyes are on either side of its body. As it matures, one eye migrates to the other side...giving it the characteristic flat shape that allows it to hide so well.
The shrimp senses danger. But it's too late.
But the flounder's hungry movements don't go undetected. This osprey senses an easy snack.
The flounder attempts to disguise itself again. But the sands are too sparse and the water too shallow.
The eater is eaten.
And the cycle of life continues...while other, better disguised flounder live on.
