flounder

Unidentified Fish Found in Massachusetts Intertidal Zone Sparks Curiosity

A palm-sized fish in the Massachusetts intertidal zone has sparked a familiar kind of curiosity. The observer, more at home with algae and shorebirds, noted the specimen's odd look for a flounder, and they're right to pause. Such sightings remind us that even well-trodden shorelines hold gaps in our data. Identifying this individual matters less than the question it raises. For those tracking similar puzzles, our piece on an unexpected chiton discovery in Puerto Rico shows how a single observation can challenge distribution models.