The collection of small flounders known as "deepwater flatfish" includes Dover sole, rex sole, rock sole, and flathead sole, along with other, less abundant species. They live on the ocean bottom of the continental shelf and conduct annual migrations between spawning grounds and feeding grounds. They eat similar foods ranging from crustaceans and molluscs to a variety of other invertebrates.
In turn, they are consumed by a wide range of predators including cod, halibut, skates, and large flounders such as arrowtooth. They occupy slightly different ecological niches, based on species-specific preferences for food, substrate (mud, sand, gravel, rock), depth, and other factors.
