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HABITAT
Sea horses are usually found in warm, shallow water among seagrass
beds. They situate themselves near deep, fast-running channels that provide them with plankton,
the microscopic marine life on which they feed.
To avoid being swept away by the current, they
wrap their long tails around nearby vegetation. Their tails are prehensile-- specially
adapted for grasping.
Above: The babies are born as
perfect miniatures of their parents. By the time they are two months old, they have grown
to two inches.
Above: On the lookout for food, a
yellow sea horse uses both its eyes separately to spot its prey. |
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The sea horse is
a member of the pipefish family. Swimming upright-and looking a little like a
chesspiece-- it is a graceful inhabitant of the warmer seas.
BREEDING
Sea horses are an unusual species in that the male be- comes
pregnant. The female releases her eggs into a pouch on the male's abdomen. As the eggs
attach themselves to the spongy pouch wall, he fertilizes them and nourishes them with a
special fluid secretion. After gestation, about fifty young are released from his pouch.
Above: The female releases her eggs into a pouch on the male's abdomen.
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FOOD & FEEDING
Sea horses feed constantly on plankton and other
small fish. A sea horse can use each eye independently from the other, which allows it to
search for prey without moving its body. When prey comes close, the sea horse can snap it
up from up to an inch and a half away.
The sea horse can avoid most predators because its
coloration acts as camouflage in all surroundings. Within seconds, it can change from gray
or black to vivid yellow or purple.
KEY FACTS
Length: From 1 in. for the dwarf
pygmy sea horse to 14 in. for the large Eastern Pacific sea horse.
Mating season: Year-round in tropical seas.
Spring and summer in cooler waters, Coincides with full moon.
Gestation: Usually 14 or 28 days,
Number of young: About 50, depending on species.
Habit: Social.
Diet: Planktonic crustacean tiny fish, and other
marine life.
Lifespan: Not known. |
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Did
You Know?
Except for crabs, few predators eat seahorses-- they are too bony.
Male preganacy lets the female produce more eggs quickly without
nurturing the last batch.
Female sea horses compete with each other for male mating partners. |
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