Halibut is the common name for three flatfish in the genera Hippoglossus and Reinhardtius from the family of right-eye flounders and, in some regions, and less commonly, other species of large flatfish.
Atlantic halibut
Fishermen in Seward, Alaska, with a fresh catch of halibut
Halibut caught off the coast of Raspberry Island, Alaska, in 2007: The two fish being held up are 18 to 23 kg (40 to 50 lb)
Halibut tend to be a mottled dark brown on their upward-facing side and white on their underside
A flatfish is a member of the ray-finned demersal fish order Pleuronectiformes, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around the head during development. Some species face their left sides upward, some face their right sides upward, and others face either side upward.
Flatfish
Flatfish are asymmetric, with both eyes lying on the same side of the head
Fossil of Amphistium
The European plaice is the principal commercial flatfish in Europe.