Fun Peacock Flounder Facts For Kids

The peacock flounder (Bothus lunatus) is also called flowery flounder. They belong to the family Bothidae. This small fish species can be found in the Atlantic Ocean, Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas, on coral reefs and sandy bottoms environments. They use corals to camouflage themselves. These fish are mostly active during the day. This small fish species has a flat body but overall the body is oval-shaped. The larvae peacock flounders have one eye on each side of their heads. In four to six months after birth, their right eye moves to their left side of the head creating for themselves a blind side and an ocular (upper side) side on their body. The dorsal fins develop their dorsal rays in the larvae. Their prey usually includes small fish and sea animals but these flatfish are predators who do not hesitate to prey on whatever comes in their eyesight.

Here are some of the most fascinating facts about the fish species that undergo complete metamorphosis wherein one eye migrates from one side to another. Afterwards, do check our other animal fact files on tang fish and peacock gudgeon as well.

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What type of animal is a peacock flounder?

Peacock flounder (Bothus lunatus) is a marine fish. They have a special ability to change coloration to match their environment and create camouflage. This flatfish species has both its eyes on the same side of the head.

What class of animal does a peacock flounder belong to?

Peacock flounder belongs to the fish class of animals. These fish are most commonly active during the day and can be found near the coral reef in oceans. This fish of prey belongs to the class of predators.

How many peacock flounders are there in the world?

The population of the peacock flounder in the world is currently unknown but it is assumed that the conservation status of their population is of no concern at present.

Where does a peacock flounder live?

Peacock flounder lives in the coral reefs of the ocean. Their most sightings have been noted in the Atlantic Ocean. Flounders bury themselves in the sand with their blind side facing downwards.

What is a peacock flounder's habitat?

The peacock flounder's habitat consists of shallow ocean waters. This flatfish can be found at depths of up to 490 ft (150 m). These flatfish are most commonly found on shallow, sandy bottoms of the oceans. Some of this species is also known to live over plain rocks and piles of dead coral reefs. The coral reefs and sandy bottoms serve an excellent purpose for them to hide by changing coloration.

Who do peacock flounders live with?

The peacock flounders are mostly found on their own or in very small groups. Members of this flatfish species are predators hence small fish try to steer clear of them.

How long does a peacock flounder live?

Peacock flounder has a life span of 10 years. This species of flatfish have a medium-ranged life expectancy.

How do they reproduce?

The peacock flounder mating season is from late spring to early winter. The male and female perform external reproduction and mating. The females release eggs into the water and then the males fertilize them. Neither the males nor females look after the eggs after fertilization. The eggs float towards the shore. The peacock flounders' eggs take about 15 days to hatch. The hatched species are ready for mating, life and reproduction after six months.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the peacock flounder is of Least Concern, indicating that their population is stable across the range of habitat in sea and ocean bodies.

What do peacock flounders look like?

Peacock flounders have a body that has brown to gray coloration. They are flatfishes. They have a flat, oval-shaped body. Their head is located on one end of their body. They have small blue spots located on their upper side (ocular side), head, and large dark spots on their lateral line. Both eyes of a flounder are on the left side of the head. That is why they start swimming on the left side of their head and body.  They have dorsal fins, caudal fins, and pectoral fin rays. Peacock flounders have dark bands on their pectoral fins rays. The dorsal fins are developed in the larvae. The caudal fins are round or bluntly pointed in shape.

How cute are they?

Peacock flounders are a beautiful species. They are very cute. Their ability to change color is astounding. It makes them look really very cute and amazing. They also have an appealing body type.

How do they communicate?

Peacock flounders use touch to communicate with their mates. They touch their pectoral fins to their mate's pectoral fins to establish contact. Their lateral line has the ability to detect movements and changes in pressure and vibrations around them. With this lateral line, they detect who is around them.

How big is a peacock flounder?

A peacock flounder is a small to medium-length fish. It is a flatfish, hence does not have any real height. It can grow in length up to 18 in (45.7 cm). Its width is generally half its length.

How fast can a peacock flounder fly?

A peacock flounder is a marine animal. Flounders do not possess the ability to fly but can swim at speeds of around 0.89 mph (1.43 kph) like other flounders.

How much does a peacock flounder weigh?

Peacock flounders do not weigh that much as they weigh only around 9 oz (255 g) and are very lightweight animals.

What are the male and female names of the species?

No specific names are assigned to the male and female of the peacock flounder species. They are simply known as male and female, respectively.

What would you call a baby peacock flounder?

A baby peacock flounder is called a larva. The larvae float to the shore at birth.

What do they eat?

Peacock flounders are carnivorous species. They prey on shrimp, crabs, and small fish.

Are they dangerous?

Males of the peacock flounder species show aggressive behavior. That is not the case with females. Males are very territorial flatfishes and get very aggressive when other males enter their territory. They defend their territories with aggressive behavior. Their rays are sharp and can poke anyone.

Would they make a good pet?

Peacock flounders need a very large space. They are unable to adapt in small tanks. Arranging a huge tank in a house is not possible for a common man. Also, they are very predatory and eat whatever small comes into their sight. Hence, peacock flounders do not make good pets.

Did you know...

Peacock flounders possess a unique ability to camouflage themselves if they sense any kind of danger in their environment. Color and pattern changes in this fish species are achieved by changing the relative visibility of chromatophores

Peacock flounders are edible but are not regarded to be of any commercial importance.

Why does the peacock flounder change color?

Peacock flounders have the ability to change color according to their surrounding environment. They have natural camouflage. They use their vision and hormones to adapt to the color change. They take the color of their surrounding environment and habitat to hide from predators such as sharks. They will be unable to change color if their vision is damaged.

Is a peacock a secondary consumer?

Yes, a peacock flounder is a secondary consumer. Flounders feed on the primary consumers and the tertiary consumers feed on them. They are at the second level, from the bottom, of the food chain.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these lumpfish facts and Nile perch facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our Peacock Flounder coloring pages.