Why is the flounder flat?
Maybe it's because it would be more convenient to place it on a plate? Or maybe there are other reasons?
...because it was jealous
According to an ancient Baltic legend, one day the fish decided to choose a king among themselves. The cod was widely liked and respected, but the king was to be chosen in a competition. All the fish of the Baltic Sea took part in the competition, and the winner was... the herring. The cod accepted this with dignity, but the flounder, who also competed, couldn't get over the loss, and out of great jealousy, the fish's mouth became crooked and flat, and it was so ashamed of this that it hid from the sight of others in the muddy sea bottom.
...because it was nosy
When Neptune ruled the waters of the world's seas and the beautiful Jurata ruled the Baltic Sea, all the fish were very similar to each other and dealt with their own fishy matters. Until one day, people started building large ships and transporting the most interesting goods from different continents on them. The fish, although curious, stayed away from the large ships and their wrecks, which increasingly ended up on the sea floor along with the cargo. However, a small, nosy flounder was so curious that it couldn't resist the temptation to swim up to the wrecked ships. It was particularly attracted to jewelry, gold, and other trinkets. The small flounder regularly rummaged around the wrecks looking for interesting things. One day after a powerful storm, it ventured into unknown waters. At the bottom, it saw a chest decorated with precious stones. It swam up to it and lifted the lid, but it turned out to be too heavy and crushed it. It barely managed to free itself and, exhausted, fell onto the sand. It quickly realized that it had become completely flat…
...because of its eating habits
The truth is more down-to-earth, and in the literal sense of the word - flounders look the way they do in order to make the best use of the place where they live - the muddy sea bottom. Two eyes crammed on the same side of the head may not look nice, but it allows flounders to effectively camouflage in the mud and makes it easier to spot and hunt. Interestingly, little flounders are born quite pretty and not flat at all! They acquire asymmetry as they age.
Publish Date: 2020-07-07