Difference between Fluke and Flounder
Difference between Fluke and Flounder
Introduction:
Fish are one of the biggest species in the world. As estimated there are 3.5 trillion fish in the ocean. They have scales on their body. They breathe from gills and cannot live outside of water. Some fish travel in groups and some fish travel solely. Most fish add some amount of meat in their diet like small fish, worms, small crabs, or insects and on the other hand, the carnivorous fish wholly live on meat like sharks and whales. Some fish are harmful to us like carnivorous fish and on the other hand, some fish are very friendly like dolphins.
This article is all about Fluke and Flounder. Both of these fish belong to the same group “Flatfish” but with some different features. They are mostly found in the Atlantic Ocean and have a huge demand in the United States of America because of their delicious taste. It is hard to distinguish between Fluke and Flounder but no worries following are some features along with the differences that can differentiate between Fluke and Flounder:
Flounder:
Flounder is a flatfish species also known as “Winter Flounder” or “BlackBack”. As by their name they are mostly found in cold water and are usually seen in darker skin tones. It is seen in darkish brown or blackish-brown skin tone. Their life span is 15 to 18 years. They have an average length of 9 to 24 inches and have an average weight of 6 to 7 pounds. The largest-ever flounder was caught by Captain Charles Nappi in Montauk, NY back in 1975. There is a craze in people to catch the flounder because of its delicious taste and it is fun for fishing. If you want to hook up the right flounder, one characteristic that separates it from others is that if you hold it in your hand it will faces to the right when the mouth is pointing up. They are born with one eye on each side but as they dwell at the bottom of the ocean one eye migrates to the other side, as a result, both eyes are on the side which faces up.
Following are the places where flounders are found:
- European water
- the northwest Atlantic Ocean
- Maryland to Labrador in Canada
- Gulf of St. Lawrence
- North Pacific Ocean
- Gulf of Mexico
Fluke:
Fluke is also a flatfish species also known as “Summer Flounder” or “Northern Flounder”. They are found in temperate water and have a lighter skin tone with spots on their back. It is seen in lighter brown or dappled brown skin tone. They also have 2 eyes on the same side of their mouth. Their life span is 12 to 14 years. They have an average length of 15 to 20 inches and have an average weight of 3 to 4 pounds though they can be as large as 26 pounds. USA’s Monica Oswald from Neptune city holds the record for the largest fluke ever caught, it was 24.3 pounds in weight and 38.25 inches in length. They are a smaller size than flounders and unlike Flounder, they do not dwell at the bottom of the ocean. . If you want to catch the right fluke the major feature is that when you hold it into your hand it will face the left when the mouth is pointing up. Here a question arrives, what if the Fluke or Summer Flounder is in the water? It has spots on its back, Simple.
Following are the places where flukes are found:
- Africa
- Nova Scotia
- Canada
- Asia
- In the United States of America, it is majorly seen in Massachusetts, the East Coast of Florida, North Caroline, and the Mid-Atlantic Region.
- Some parts of Europe
Difference between Fluke and Flounder
The easy way to identify Fluke and Flounder is that they both prefer different water temperatures but the following are some key differences between Fluke and Flounder:
|
Characteristics |
Fluke |
Flounder |
|
|
|
|
|
Length |
15 to 20 inches |
9 to 24 inches |
|
|
|
|
|
Weight |
3 to 4 pounds |
6 to 7 pounds |
|
|
|
|
|
Life Span |
12 to 14 years |
15 to 18 years |
|
|
|
|
|
Skin tone |
Lighter skin tone with spots on its back |
Darker skin tone with no spots |
|
|
|
|
|
Water preference |
Temperate water |
Coldwater |
|
|
|
|
Conclusion:
An inexperienced or a common man cannot tell the difference between fluke and flounder as it is hard to tell but people who are regularly in touch with the aquatic animal can see the difference easily. There is some key feature like weight, length, skin, and color which separates them from each other. There are many other flatfish species like Fluke and Flounder out there but all with their unique characteristics and differences. Hopefully, after reading this article the reader will be able to understand the facts about Fluke and Flounder along with the differences between them.
.png)
What other's say about : How ThePhone thriller..