The Common Sole is one of the most recognisable and commercially valuable fish living on the seabed of the Mediterranean. It belongs to the Soleidae family and is characterised as a right eyed flatfish. This means that as it grows and transforms from a regular fish into a flatfish, the left eye moves toward the right side of the head. It eventually ends up lying on its left side, white and blind, while the right side, which faces upwards, has both eyes and the colour of the seabed. The body is elongated and oval, with a rounded snout, in contrast to the Turbot, which is nearly circular and has its eyes on the left side. The dorsal colour is usually grey-brown with irregular dark spots that offer excellent camouflage in the sand.

It is a species that lives exclusively on the seabed, primarily in areas with fine sand or mud, where it can bury itself slightly during the day. It is found at depths ranging from very shallow waters of a few metres down to 150 or 200 metres. It is a nocturnal fish that becomes active and hunts as soon as darkness falls.

Breeding in the Mediterranean takes place mainly during the winter months and early spring, from January to April. During this period, adult fish move to shallower waters with a depth of 30 to 50 metres to spawn. The females release thousands of microscopic eggs that float in the water before the larvae hatch.

Scientific studies have shown that the Common Sole is highly adaptable to changes in temperature and salinity, allowing it to frequently enter river estuaries and lagoons. Research on its age showed that it can live for more than 20 years, although nowadays fish over 5 years old are rarely found. Even though it is recorded as Data Deficient in some areas, local assessments in the Mediterranean indicate that populations are under significant pressure, and overfishing occurs in certain areas. It has also been observed that during very cold winters, fish migrate en masse to deeper, warmer waters to survive.