Common sole
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| Solea solea |
The common sole, Solea solea, is a species of fish in the Soleidae family. It has a preference for relatively shallow water with sand or mud covering the bottom. It is found in the Eastern Atlantic ocean, from the south of Norway to Senegal, and in almost all of the Mediterranean Sea. In the winter it withdraws to the somewhat warmer waters of the Southern North Sea.
The small eyes are close to each other on the right-hand side of the body. This gives the fish the possibility of lurking half-buried in the sand for passing prey. The common sole is just like all other flatfish born as an "ordinary" fish with one eye on each side of the body. The young tongue do however quickly undergo a metamorphosis – when it is about one cm long, to a flatfish.
The common sole approaches a maximum length of approximately 70 cm.
[edit] References
- Clover, Charles. 2004. The End of the Line: How overfishing is changing the world and what we eat. Ebury Press, London. ISBN 0-09-189780-7
