# Plaice (*Pleuronectes platessa*) Plaice is a flat fish with a tasty flavor. They often rest on the seabed and are known for their colorful spots! - **Category:** [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fish) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Habitat:** Sea floor - **Also known as:** Common Plaice, European Plaice ![Plaice](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771424658/objects/4703.jpg) ## Appearance The Plaice is a flatfish with both eyes positioned on its right side. Its olive-brown back is covered with bright, round orange or red spots, which help it blend into the seabed. Its underside is pure white. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Actinopteri - **Order:** Pleuronectiformes - **Family:** Pleuronectidae - **Genus:** Pleuronectes ## Interesting facts - Baby plaice start life swimming upright, then tilt over as they grow! - Plaice can live for almost 30 years, making them quite old for a fish! - Their unique orange spots are a tell-tale sign that it's a plaice! - You can tell a plaice's age by counting the rings on its ear bone! ## Special abilities - **Camouflage Master:** Plaice can change their skin color and pattern because it helps them perfectly blend into the sandy or muddy seafloor. - **Burrowing Hideout:** Plaice has a super flat body that helps them hide from predators by burying themselves quickly into the seabed. - **Mobile Eyesight:** Plaice has eyes that move to one side as they grow, which helps them see above while lying flat on the ocean floor. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 25-50 cm - **Weight:** 0.5-2 kg - **Lifespan:** 15-20 years - **Swim Speed:** 10 km/h - **Maximum Depth:** 200 m - **Water Type:** Saltwater ## Diet & Feeding Plaice are hunters, munching on small sea creatures found hiding in the sand. - **Age differences:** Younger plaice eat smaller crustaceans, while adults tackle larger worms and molluscs. - **Primary Foods:** polychaete worms, small crustaceans, bivalve molluscs, brittle stars - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Atlantic Cod](https://www.snappit.app/explore/atlantic-cod) (*Gadus morhua*) — Adult plaice can become prey for large cod. - **Eaten by:** [Harbor Seal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/harbor-seal) (*Phoca vitulina*) — Seals hunt plaice as part of their varied marine diet. - **Eats:** Lugworm (*Arenicola marina*) — Plaice actively forage for lugworms buried in the seabed. ## Traits - [Wildlife](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats. - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Camouflaged](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/camouflaged): Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. - [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life. ## Collections - [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fish) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Watch quietly from a distance and never try to feed or chase wild animals. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Plaice? Look at body shape, where the fins sit and their outline, mouth position, stripes and spots. Young fish and breeding adults can wear different patterns, and aquarium color varieties can look nothing like wild fish. Fish Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Plaice? 25-50 cm ### How much does Plaice weigh? 0.5-2 kg ### How long does Plaice live? 15-20 years ### What does Plaice eat? Plaice are hunters, munching on small sea creatures found hiding in the sand. ### How fast can Plaice swim? 10 km/h ### Where is Plaice usually found? Sea floor ### How does Plaice hunt? Foraging ## More Fish - [Rainbow Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rainbow-trout) (*Oncorhynchus mykiss*) - [Brown Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-trout) (*Salmo trutta*) - [Brook Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brook-trout) (*Salvelinus fontinalis*) - [Lake Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lake-trout) (*Salvelinus namaycush*) --- Source: [Plaice: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/plaice)