Bluespotted flathead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bluespotted flathead |
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The bluespotted flathead (Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus) is a cool fish that lives in the ocean. It's a type of fish known for its flat body and amazing hunting skills. These fish are part of the Platycephalidae family. You can mostly find them in the waters off the east coast of Australia. They especially like sandy areas on the seafloor.
Meet the Bluespotted Flathead
Flathead fish are famous for their unique body shape. It helps them hunt! Their bodies are very wide but super flat, almost like a pancake. This means they are dorsally compressed. Both of their eyes are on top of their flat heads. This gives them excellent vision to spot prey swimming above them. It's a bit like how a flounder looks.
However, flathead are much longer than flounder. Their tail stays upright, and their mouth is big, wide, and even on both sides. Bluespotted flathead use this flat body to hide in the sand. They can even change their body color to match the sand around them! Often, only their eyes are visible.
It's believed that bluespotted flathead use this amazing camouflage to ambush small prey. They wait perfectly still, then suddenly attack! But they aren't always hiding. This species can also be an active swimmer. They will chase after their prey without needing to hide first.
How to Spot a Bluespotted Flathead
You can tell a bluespotted flathead apart from other flathead fish. Look for these special features:
- They have scattered blue spots all over their body.
- Their tail has long, dark blotches. These blotches get bigger from the top of the tail to the bottom.
- The lower spine near their gills (called the preopercular spine) is clearly longer than the one above it.
Bluespotted flathead are often found on sandy seabeds in southeastern Australia. They don't usually live in other types of habitats. These fish can grow quite large, up to 68 centimeters (about 27 inches) long. Both male and female fish are thought to reach this maximum size.
Fishing for Flathead
Both people who fish for fun and commercial fishers catch bluespotted flathead. Sometimes, fishers get them mixed up with the many other types of flathead fish. This is because many different flathead species live in the same areas.
