Congratulations! It’s a bouncing baby flounder. Look at its sweet, symmetrical eyes. Adorable, aren’t they? Well, take a picture, because they won’t stay there for long. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

For flounders and other flatfish, it’s a rite of passage that, as they develop, they undergo a rather dramatic transformation. They begin life swimming upright with an eye on each side of their head, making them look like any other normal fish as they zoom around feeding in open water. Then, then the metamorphosis begins.

As the fish develops, one of their eyes will begin a slow migration from one side of its head to the other. Progress doesn’t happen quickly, meaning there comes a time when one of its eyes is slap ban

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