Plants and Animals

How did the flatfish evolve?

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The newly hatched transparent larvae are bilaterally symmetrical, but soon the characteristic compression of the body develops and one eye "migrates" to the other side of the head—either the left or the right, depending on the species. Changes occur also in the skeletal and digestive systems; adults have only one dorsal and one anal fin, both without spines. The underside of the flatfish is pale and the top is colored to match the environment; some species, especially the flounders, are able to change their pigmentation ...

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