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⬅ #60 red snapper #61 dabNH-Icon-dab #62 olive flounder ➡


Dab Gallery

"I caught a dab! Not bad!" —New Horizons

The dab is a fish in the flatfish group. It can be found in the ocean during the winter and spring months and is the smaller, more common cousin of the olive flounder. In some games, the dab is mistaken for the olive flounder.

It first appeared alongside the olive flounder in Animal Forest e+, where the two fish were the same shadow size. As they were the same size as sea bass in Animal Forest e+, it can sometimes be difficult to find either of these flatfish.

The dab also appeared in Pocket Camp during a February 2019 event called "Dab goals". The fish later returned as a regular fish in September 2020. In addition, the same game also sometimes has a much larger version of the Dab, called a King Dab, being caught, with it being distinguished by a huge shadow.

Donation to the museum[]

As with all fish and bugs in Animal Crossing series, the dab can be donated to the Museum by talking to Blathers, the curator. When donating, Blathers will tell the player a little bit about the donation. Below is what he has to say in each game.

In Animal Forest e+[]

In Wild World[]

In City Folk[]

In City Folk, upon donating to the museum, Blathers the curator will say:

"By the by... Just so you know, eyes on a dab are positioned on the right, but on the left on a flounder. When young, these fish are shaped like ordinary fish, but... As they mature, they start becoming flatter in preparation for adulthood! What professionalism! You can tell this is a very responsible fish, wot?"

The dab can be found in the tank at the back of the room, with other sea fish.

In New Leaf[]

In New Leaf, an information board in the aquarium will list information about this fish.

"Dabs generally have both eyes on the right side of their body, though there are some exceptions. Both types of dabs begin in infancy with an eye on each side of their body. As dabs grow, the eye on the left migrates to the right, though sometimes it doesn't move at all. Dabs dig in the sand to hide, which allows their eyes to stick up a bit to watch for danger. Because they live off of bugs and small creatures, their mouths are small, containing narrow, dull teeth."

In New Horizons[]

In New Horizons, upon donation or selecting "Tell me more about this!", Blathers the curator will say:

"The dab is a flatfish that bears some resemblance to the olive flounder, though their mouths are different. Personally, I am morbidly fascinated by each fish's eye placement. The dab's eyes are both on its right side, while the olive flounder's are on the left. These fish spend lots of time lying on their sides in the sand, so the odd eye placement makes some sense... But it's — how can I put this? Creepy? Viscerally disturbing? Profoundly upsetting to fans of symmetry? "

Capture quotes[]

"カレイを つり・・・ あれ? ほんとに?" —Animal Forest e+
"(translated)I caught a dab... What? Really?" —Animal Forest e+
"I caught a dab! Didja see it? You're a dab, right?" —Wild World
"I caught a dab! And I'm feeling fab!" —City Folk
"I caught a dab! I'm not just dabbling anymore!" —New Leaf
"I caught a dab! Not bad!" —New Horizons


Encyclopedia information[]

Wild World[]

Fish
Encyclopedia Information
Dab (Wild World) "About half the size of olive flounders, they like to bury themselves in the sand."
Size 19.5 inches
Habitat Ocean
Season Fall and winter
Icon Dab (Wild World icon)


City Folk[]

Fish
Encyclopedia Information
Dab (City Folk)
"These have flat, asymmetrical bodies. The eyes are on the right side."
Size About 20 inches
Habitat Ocean
Season Winter-Spring


New Leaf[]

Fish
Encyclopedia Information
Dab encyclopedia (New Leaf)
"I caught a dab! I'm not just dabbling anymore!"
Size About 20 inches
Habitat Ocean
Season Winter-Spring


New Horizons[]

Fish
Encyclopedia Information
NH-encyclopedia-Dab
"I caught a dab! Not bad!"
Habitat Sea
Months active (north) October through April
Months active (south) April through October



Further information[]

DabInrealife

Longheaded Dab

Main article: Longhead dab on Wikipedia

The longheaded dab is a very small flatfish. It inhabits the northern Pacific from Canada to Asia including the Sea of Okhotsk. Like many flatfish, it lives along sandy shoals where it has can easily camouflage itself.

In other languages[]

Dab
Language Name Translation
Japan Japanese カレイ Karei -
France French Limande -
Spain Spanish Gallo -
Germany German Kliesche -
Italy Italian Platessa -
The Netherlands Dutch Schar -
Russia Russian Камбала Kambala -
China Chinese 鲽鱼/鰈魚 Diéyú -
South Korea Korean 가자미 Gajami -


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