Hogchoker

Trinectes maculatus

It is said that Hogchokers were once so common that they were used as food for pigs. Occasionally one would get stuck in a hog's throat, giving this fish its common name. The Hogchoker is a flatfish, a group of extremely flat-bodied fishes that live on ocean and stream bottoms. Flatfishes have both eyes on one side of their bodies (the right or the left). They swim on their sides with both eyes pointing up, so they can keep watch overhead. The eyed side has a color pattern, while the blind side is usually nearly white. These fishes can rapidly nestle down and blend in with their surroundings. The Hogchoker is an American sole, a family of small, round, righteye flatfishes.

Look For : A round sole with eyes on the right side.

Length : 5".

Habitat : Sandy bottoms of coastal shorelines and estuaries. Also found in freshwater far upstream.

Range : Along Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida and Gulf of Mexico.