Like modern representatives, its skull is asymmetrical and one eye has begun migrating to the other side of its head. The adults look like they’ve swum out of a Picasso painting.īut Heteronectes is a half-committed flatfish. Their fry resemble those of other fish but as they grow, one of their eyes makes an amazing journey to the other side of its head. For other fish, lying sideways would give one eye a useless view of sand but flatfish have adapted accordingly. They are fish that live on their sides and their flat profiles make them both efficient hunters and difficult prey. You’ve probably eaten flatfish before but tasty fillets of plaice, sole or halibut give few hints about their extraordinary physical specialisations. Its name is Heteronectes (meaning “different swimmer”) and it’s a flatfish, but not as you know it. Now, Matt Friedman from the University of Chicago has described a new transitional fossil that is one of the most dramatic yet. They act as handy visual aids for explaining the story of evolution to those with a dearth of imagination. These “ transitional fossils” are always greeted with great relish for their intermediate nature provides yet more examples of gradual evolution from one form to another. With amazing regularity, new fossils are being unearthed that bridge the gap between existing specimens. Unauthorized use is prohibited.īut the gaps, while plentiful, are being slowly filled in.
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