Flatfish, Flounder, And Fluke:
What Are The Differences Between Them?
Unless you’re a fishing enthusiast or a sea-food connoisseur, you will have a hard time discerning different fish from each other. Specifically, there is a whole lot of confusion between flatfish, flounder, and fluke. Let’s examine them briefly, shall we?
The first thing you need to understand that both flounder and fluke are flatfish. They are flat-sided and dwell in the mid-Atlantic. They lie on one side, and through the evolutionary process, one of their eyes travels to the side against which they are lying.
The names can also be confusing. You may have heard of the winter flounder, which is just another name for flounder. Fluke is also called ‘summer flounder’. So basically we are just talking about two fish here with a lot of names!
But there are marked differences between fluke and flounder. For instance, while both lie on one side, there is a difference on which side each lies. So the fluke always lies on the right side with the left side facing up, and hence both eyes are on the left side.
The fluke is also the heavier among the two, reaching a max weight of 20lbs whereas a flounder reaches up to 5lbs only. The fluke also has the larger mouth, which is why you can recognize it by its well-exposed teeth. Compare this with flounder that has a mouth smaller than an inch and you can hardly notice its teeth.
Finally, the fluke also has a larger life span, living up to 20 years, whereas the average lifespan of the winter flounder is 12-14, depending on the gender.
Since they live in the same body of water, they don’t have a marked difference as far as taste is concerned. You can try them out to see which one you like better!
Fatima M.
Freelance Blogger
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