Flatfish are “sit-and-wait” ambush predators (Gibson, 2005),famous for their unusual morphology and excellent camouflage,but little is known about their learning abilities. We studied thecapacity for associative learning and anticipatory behaviour in theAtlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus. Halibut is the largestflatfish species and may reach a weight of >300 kg and ages ofover 50 years (Haug, 1990). Small individuals live quite localizedon sandy bottoms at moderate depths (20–60 m) and feed mainlyon benthic crustaceans, while fish become more important prey asthe halibut grow (Haug, 1990). Prey detection relies both on visionand olfaction (de Groot, 1969; Yacoob and Browman, 2007). Whenthe distance to the prey is short enough prey are captured in arapid lunge with simultaneous opening of the mouth and protrusionof the jaws, with the prey being sucked into the mouth (Gibson,2005).
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