the.com/halibut
a flatfish so committed to lying down its skull rotates an eye to the other side
means A large flatfish prized as food, living on the sea floor with both eyes on its upper side.
from A devout little fish, etymologically speaking: from Middle English 'haly' (holy) + 'butte' (flatfish, a word shared across Low German and Dutch). It was the flatfish you ate on holy days — the holy butt, if you like — and the name stuck long after the fasting calendar loosened its grip.
- eye migration
- larvae start symmetrical, one eye crawls over the head
- giant size
- Atlantic halibut reach over 8 feet, 700 pounds
- top camouflage
- upper side darkens, underside stays ghost white
- long life
- females can live past 50 years
- name origin
- means holy flatfish, eaten on Catholic holy days
pacific halibut — largest flatfish in north america, caught commercially off alaska and british columbia
atlantic halibut — endangered species once abundant off new england and canada, now severely depleted
greenland halibut — deepwater species found in arctic waters, commercially fished in bering sea