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SEAHORSE |
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Seahorses are one of the most unusual fishes in the sea. A member of the fish family, Syngnathidae, seahorses are comprised of three genera, most being placed in the genus hippocampus. Of the nearly 40 species of seahorses identified by scientists, four species are known to inhabit the coastal regions surrounding the United States: the dwarf seahorse (H. zosterae), long-snout seahorse (H. reidi), Pacific seahorse (H. ingens), and lined seahorse (H. erectus). The family has a worldwide distribution along both temperate and tropical coastlines, preferring to live in shallow, calm regions with a vegetative habitat. Adult size varies from the pygmy seahorse (at one centimeter) to the giant Pacific seahorse (at 30 centimeters).
It is easy to understand why many people find it hard to believe that the seahorse is indeed a fish. Unlike most bony fishes, seahorses are not covered in scales, but with bony plates covered by a thin skin. The plates help protect the animal from injury; however, it is the seahorse’s ability to change its color to blend into its environment that is its best defense. By expanding or contracting the pigment cells in their skin, seahorses are able to change colors, including brown, black, white, green, yellow, orange and red. Many species take on a blotchy appearance that disrupts the outline of their bodies and enables them to be further camouflaged from predators and prey.
The most obvious feature of these animals is their horse-like head. They have a dorsal fin on their back to propel them, and pectoral fins on the sides of their heads to aid in steering. Because this makes them very poor swimmers, they rely on their prehensile tails to grasp vegetation and any other holdfast from which they may rest or lie in ambush for prey. They dine mainly on any small living animals that come within reach of their tube-like snouts. Prey may include small shrimps, larvae of water insects and plankton. To aid in the capture of food and avoidance of predators, seahorse have eyes that move independently of one another. This provides them with a 360-degree view of their surroundings.
Another feature, which makes seahorses unusual in the animal world, is their breeding behavior. The males have a pouch on their belly region where the female deposits her eggs. The eggs are then incubated by the male (anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the species and environmental factors). Once hatched, the young seahorses are then expelled by the male into the ocean where they must fend for themselves. It may take up to two days for all the babies to be expelled from the male’s pouch. As many as 2,000 eggs may be laid by the female, depending on size and species.
Unfortunately, most species of seahorses are endangered worldwide due to habitat pollution and over-fishing. There are captive breeding programs underway for some species; however, it may already be too late to save other species in their native habitats. The Aquarium’s seahorses are on the second level of the Aquarium, next to the Community Room.
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Researched and written by Dan Arcara, Exhibits Supervisor
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