Pacific halibut have flat, diamond-shaped bodies. They swim sideways, and the upper side is typically mottled gray to dark brown, which helps it blend in with sandy or muddy bottoms. Their underside is typically white. Both of their eyes are on the upper side of their body. Their scales are small and buried in the skin, giving them a smooth appearance. The maxilla extends only to the front edge of the eye, they have more than 80 soft dorsal rays and the eyes are always on the right side of the head. The tail is crescent-shaped, longer at the tips than in the middle.