This common fish lives in Puget Sound and along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to southern California. It's especially common in shallow water estuaries, the places where fresh meets salt water.

Starry Flounders are oval-shaped with a fan tail and fins striped orange and black. What makes this fish "starry" is the star-shaped, rough plates on its upper side. We say "upper" side because the flounder is a flat fish, spending its adult life on sandy and muddy bottoms with one side down and one side up. At birth, flounders look like typical fish with an eye on each side of the head. But as the flounder grows, one eye gradually moves to the other side of the head until it stops next to the other eye. Then the flounder can lie flat on the bottom, shivering its fins to cover itself with sand or mud except for eyes and mouth. It can move each eye independently of the other and can change color to match its background too.

Hidden from bigger fish that might eat it, the flounder lies camouflaged in wait for its prey. Little fish swim by overhead, and it lurches upward to grab them. At other times, the Starry Flounder swims along the bottom, nosing in the sand for worms, snails, and clams. When it happens upon crabs and shrimp, it eats them too. Flounder may not look sleek, but they're fast and effective predators.

Young Starry Flounders are one of many creatures that depend on healthy expanses of eelgrass. When you're boating or planning a waterfront project, be sure to follow regulations designed to protect eelgrass and all the creatures it shelters.