“Found on the Beach: A Little Pink Ghost of the Sea”
My girlfriend and I were wandering the sands near our home on Kauaʻi when she spotted something unbelievably tiny: a fragile, almost transparent pink fish lying on the wet sand. At first glance, it almost looked like glass. We picked it up—and realized we might have found a baby flounder (or some kind of flat-bottom dwelling juvenile) shimmering in the morning light.
🐟 What it likely is
This kind of flatfish begins life with one eye on each side of its head—just like any ordinary fish. But as it matures, one eye migrates across the top of the skull so that both eyes end up on one side—an adaptation that lets it lie completely flat on the seafloor.
What we found looked so ephemeral: pink, translucent, soft-bodied, and vulnerable—like a little sea ghost washed ashore.
🌊 Why seeing this is special
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