When those snails die, hermit crabs move into their empty shells for protection. Visitors to the sandy shore include rays and sharks that come in to feed at night on small invertebrates. While they are still juveniles, one eye migrates to the upper side in order to stay out of the abrasive sand. Some flatfish find food in the bottom sediment while others feed above the sand surface. With their flattened profile, they are able to wiggle so as to cover themselves with a thin sand layer.
Some species can change color to blend in with the sand.
The females bury eggs in the sand where they develop and hatch two weeks later when agitated by the high tide waves. The developing eggs are out of the reach of other fish. This page was last updated on April 1, 2001.