The seahorse is a small fish, which is a representative of the Spine family from the order Stickleback. Research has shown that the seahorse is a highly modified pipefish. Today the seahorse is a rather rare creature. In this article you will find a description and photo of a seahorse and learn a lot of new and interesting things about this extraordinary creature.

The seahorse looks very unusual and its body shape resembles a chess piece of a horse. The seahorse fish has many long bony spines and various leathery projections on its body. Thanks to this body structure, the seahorse appears unnoticed among the algae and remains inaccessible to predators. The seahorse looks amazing, it has small fins, its eyes rotate independently of each other, and its tail is curled into a spiral. The seahorse looks diverse, because it can change the color of its scales.

The seahorse looks small, its size depends on the species and varies from 4 to 25 cm. In the water, the seahorse swims vertically, unlike other fish. This is due to the fact that the seahorse’s swim bladder consists of an abdominal and a head part. The head bladder is larger than the abdominal one, which allows the seahorse to maintain an upright position when swimming.

Now the seahorse is becoming increasingly rare and is on the verge of extinction due to a rapid decline in numbers. There are many reasons for the disappearance of the seahorse. The main one is the destruction by humans of both the fish itself and its habitats. Off the coast of Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, pipits are being caught en masse. The exotic appearance and bizarre body shape is the reason that people began to make gift souvenirs from them. For beauty, the tail is artificially arched and the body is given the shape of the letter “S”, but in nature skates do not look like that.

Another reason that contributes to the decline in the seahorse population is that they are a delicacy. Gourmets highly value the taste of these fish, especially the eyes and liver of seahorses. In a restaurant, the cost of one serving of such a dish costs $800.

In total, there are about 50 species of seahorses, 30 of which are already listed in the Red Book. Luckily, seahorses are very fertile and can produce over a thousand young at a time, keeping the seahorses from becoming extinct. Seahorses are bred in captivity, but this fish is very demanding to keep. One of the most extravagant seahorses is the rag-picker seahorse, which you can see in the photo below.

The seahorse lives in tropical and subtropical seas. The seahorse fish lives mainly at shallow depths or near the shore and leads a sedentary lifestyle. The seahorse lives in dense thickets of algae and other marine vegetation. It attaches itself to plant stems or corals with its flexible tail, remaining almost invisible due to its body covered with various projections and spines.

The seahorse fish changes body color to completely blend in with its environment. In this way, the seahorse successfully camouflages itself not only from predators, but also while foraging for food. The seahorse is very bony, so few people want to eat it. The main hunter of the seahorse is the large land crab. The seahorse can travel long distances. To do this, it attaches its tail to the fins of various fish and hangs on them until the “free taxi” swims into the algae thickets.

What do seahorses eat?

Seahorses eat crustaceans and shrimp. Seahorses eat very interestingly. The tubular stigma, like a pipette, draws prey into the mouth along with water. Seahorses eat quite a lot and hunt almost the whole day, taking short breaks of a couple of hours.

Seahorses eat about 3 thousand planktonic crustaceans per day. But seahorses eat almost any food, as long as it does not exceed the size of their mouth. The seahorse fish is a hunter. With its flexible tail, the seahorse clings to the algae and remains motionless until the prey is in the required proximity to the head. After which the seahorse absorbs water along with food.

How do seahorses reproduce?

Seahorses reproduce in a rather unusual way, because their young are carried by the male. Seahorses often have monogamous pairs. The mating season of seahorses is an amazing sight. A couple who are about to enter into a marriage union are held together by their tails and dance in the water. During the dance, the skates press against each other, after which the male opens a special pocket in the abdominal area, into which the female throws eggs. Subsequently, the male bears offspring for a month.

Seahorses reproduce quite often and produce large offspring. A seahorse gives birth to one thousand or more young at a time. The fry are born an absolute copy of the adults, only very tiny. The babies that are born are left to their own devices. In nature, a seahorse lives for about 4-5 years.

If you liked this article and you like to read about animals, subscribe to site updates to receive the latest and interesting articles about animals first.

Not crucian carp, not perch,
Has a long neck
Who is he? Guess it quickly!
Well, of course, it’s a hobby!

The seahorse (from the Latin Hippocampus) is a small, cute sea fish of an unusual shape from the genus of bony fish (the family of pipefish) of the order Acquiformes. Looking at this fish, one immediately remembers the chess piece of a knight. Long neck - distinctive feature skate. If you disassemble the skate into body parts, then its head resembles that of a horse, its tail resembles that of a monkey, its eyes resemble those of a chameleon, and its outer coverings resemble those of insects. The unusual structure of the tail allows the skate to cling to seaweed and corals and hide in them if it senses danger. The ability to mimic (camouflage) makes the seahorse practically invulnerable. The seahorse feeds on plankton. Young skates are quite voracious and can eat for 10 hours in a row, eating up to three thousand crustaceans and shrimp. The vertical position of the seahorse relative to the water is its distinctive feature.

It is interesting that the seahorse is a caring father and faithful husband. The difficult burden of motherhood falls on the shoulders of the male. The seahorse independently carries the baby in a special bag, which is located in the lower part of the seahorse's abdomen. It is there that the female introduces eggs during mating games. If the female dies, the male remains faithful to his partner for a long time and vice versa, if the male dies, the female remains faithful to the male for up to 4 weeks.

Dimensions

The size of a seahorse varies from two to three centimeters to 30. Thirty centimeters is the size of a giant seahorse. The average size is 10 or 12 centimeters. The smallest representatives, dwarf seahorses, are about 13 or even 3 millimeters. With a size of 13 centimeters, the mass of a seahorse is about 10 grams.

A few more photos of seahorses.

If you don't live near a warm ocean or water park, you probably haven't seen seahorses or sea dragons to understand how amazing these tiny creatures are. Their long, elongated heads, like those of a horse, give them an almost mythical image. In reality, they are not immortal, and besides, many die during the storm. Sea “horses” hide with the help of excellent camouflage; long spines and ribbon-like outgrowths make them invisible in their natural underwater environment.

Seahorses range in size from 2 to 20 centimeters. Seahorses, like leafy sea dragons and pipefish, bear their young in special pouches where the female spawns. The burden of maternal care falls on. With such entertaining and interesting facts, as well as amazing photos of seahorses we invite you to familiarize yourself.

Seahorses (Hippocampus) are gentle and beautiful creatures got their names from the ancient Greek “hippo”, which means “horse” and “kampos” - “sea monsters”. The genus Hippocampus includes 54 species of marine fish.
The spotted seahorse in the photo is 15 centimeters long and lives up to four years.

A spectacular rainbow seahorse in Hamburg, Germany.

Leafy sea dragons at Georgia Aquarium. Sea “monsters” live off the southern coast of Australia and are masters of camouflage. Seemingly harmless, the sea dragon is a true predator - it feeds small fish and shrimp.

The weedy sea dragon is endangered. With their small tubular snouts, relatives of seahorses suck up tiny prey, sometimes including various debris.

Leafy sea dragons at Birch Aquarium, San Diego, California. They can grow up to 35 cm in length. When the males are ready to mate, their leafy tails turn bright yellow.

Black Sea seahorse rare sight in shallow waters, Romania.

Leafy sea dragon in an aquarium, Atlanta. In nature, they live in the tropical coastal waters of South and Western Australia.

Spiny seahorse(Hippocampus histrix) gets its name from the spines protruding from it. Usually lives in - from 3 to 80 meters. One of the most large species seahorses and can grow up to 17 cm.

Seahorse at the Oregon Aquarium. Seahorses are not good swimmers. The other is the only species of fish where the males carry unborn offspring.

Weed sea dragon near seaweed, Sydney, Australia. Brown algae and reefs provide them with good camouflage and protection from predators.

At first glance, seahorses appear to be pregnant, but they are not. Bellied seahorses(Hippocampus abdominalis) separate species and one of the largest, can reach a length of 35 cm.

The spiny seahorse, like most of its fellows, is in danger of extinction. Human appetite for exotic fish is growing, which is why pipits have been added to the list of protected fish under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Leafy sea dragons, like their relatives, weed dragons, are very caring fathers. They bear their offspring on themselves. The fry that are born immediately become independent.

Pipefish another distant relative of seahorses. This creature has a longer, straighter body with tiny mouths.

Another of the seahorse relatives at the Wilhelm Zoo, Germany.

Macro photographs of gray and yellow seahorses at Zurich Zoo. When eating or interacting with other relatives, these fish make a “clicking” sound.

Seem like there is love between them...

Leafy sea dragons dance at the Dallas Aquarium. The only working fins are on the chest and back, so sea dragons are not very fast - 150 meters per hour. Individuals were observed that spent up to 68 hours in one place.

A pygmy seahorse provides excellent camouflage against soft corals near Cebu, Philippines. Pygmies reach maximum length 2.4 cm. Residence area from southern Japan to Northern Australia in reef areas at a depth of 10-40 meters.

Pipefish - Solenostomus paradoxus - off the coast of Thailand. Close relatives of seahorses come in a variety of colors and sizes, ranging from 2.5 to 50 cm.

Excellent camouflage.

Weed sea dragons close up. Left: Shelly Beach weed dragon, Australia, right: eggs on male dragons.

Morning mating dances of seahorses.

The skinny body of the weed dragon “flies” through the water. The sea dragon's body and color develop based on environment, food products.

The skinny and toothless pipefish has a snake-like body.

Seahorses are voracious. The absence of a stomach and teeth forces them to constantly feed. In this regard, they consume up to 50 shrimp per day.

Before mating, the courtship ritual of seahorses lasts several days. Few couples stay together for life; most stay together only during the mating season.

A miracle of nature.

Perfection of nature.

Close-up

Friendly family.

Schultz's pipefish - Corythoichthys schultzi - in Egypt.

Different types of seahorses and dragons.

Seahorses are the slowest sea fish.

Only 1% of fry grow to adulthood.

Seahorses are masters of camouflage.

The pygmy pipit is one of the smallest vertebrates in the world against a backdrop of soft corals.

Stunning shot: a kiss between lovers.

The beauty of a leafy sea dragon.

The pipefish family includes: seahorses, pipefish, leafy and weedy sea dragons.

Spiny seahorse.

The proud loneliness of a seahorse.

Close-up.

Curiosity.

Seahorses(Lat. Hippocampus) is a genus of small marine bony fish of the needlefish family of the order Aciliformes. The number of species is about 50.

The unusual shape of the skate's body resembles a chess piece of a knight. Numerous long spines and ribbon-like leathery outgrowths located on the skate’s body make it invisible among the algae and inaccessible to predators. The sizes of seahorses range from 2 to 30 cm, depending on the species to which a particular individual belongs. Interesting feature seahorses is that their offspring are carried by the male.

Seahorses live in tropical and subtropical seas. They lead a sedentary lifestyle, attaching their flexible tails to plant stems and changing body color, completely blending into the background. This is how they protect themselves from predators and camouflage themselves while hunting for food. Skates feed on small crustaceans and shrimp. The tubular stigma acts like a pipette - the prey is drawn into the mouth along with water.

Its body is located vertically in the water because the swim bladder is located along the entire body and is divided by a partition separating the head part from the rest of the body. The head bladder is larger than the abdominal one, which provides the skate with a vertical position when swimming.

Based on anatomical, molecular and genetic studies, the seahorse has been identified as a highly modified pipefish. Fossilized remains of seahorses are quite rare. The most studied fossils of the species Hippocampus guttulatus (synonym - H. ramulosus) from the formations of the Marecchia River (Italian province of Rimini). These finds are dated to the Lower Pliocene (about 3 million years ago). The earliest seahorse fossils are believed to be two Middle Miocene spinyfish species, Hippocampus sarmaticus and Hippocampus slovenicus, discovered in Slovenia. Their age is estimated at 13 million years. According to the molecular clock method, the seahorse and pipefish species diverged in the late Oligocene. There is a theory that this genus appeared in response to the emergence large plots shallow waters, which was caused by tectonic events. The appearance of vast shallows led to the spread of algae, and, as a result, the animals living in this environment.

Seahorses reproduce differently than other animals. During the mating season, the male swims up to the female, both fish press against each other, and at this moment the male opens his pocket wide, and the female throws several eggs into it. Subsequently, the male skate bears the offspring. Pipits are very fertile animals, and the number of embryos borne in a male's pouch ranges from 2 to 1000 or more individuals. The average seahorse can live for four to five years. Seahorses navigate by the ebb and flow of the tides, when strong currents can carry away the fry. During the breeding season, fry hatch every 4 weeks. Immediately after birth, they are left to their own devices. The fry of some species move with the current, while others remain at the place of birth.

Nowadays, seahorses are on the verge of extinction - their numbers are rapidly declining. 30 species of skate fish out of 32 known to science are listed in the Red Book. There are many reasons for this, one of them is the massive catching of pipits off the coast of Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and the Philippines. The exotic appearance of the fish has meant that people use them as souvenirs and gifts. For the sake of beauty, their tail is artificially bent so as to give the body an “S” shape. In fact, such species of fish do not exist in nature - this is a human whim. Only great fertility saves skates from extinction: some species give birth to more than a thousand babies at a time.

A separate point in the destruction of the seahorse population is the fact that the taste of these fish is valued by gourmets. According to them, the liver and eyes of seahorses are quite tasty, although they have laxative properties. The dish is served with a fig leaf and costs up to $800 per serving in the most expensive seaside restaurants.

Although many have seen seahorses in private aquariums or on television, wildlife It is quite difficult to observe these fish because they are small and quite rare. They are worth protecting because they are a beautiful, but fragile and vulnerable species, and if people destroy reefs and other habitats, they will put seahorses in danger of extinction.

They are the only fish on Earth with a neck.

They have a very tenacious tail, with which they can lasso a perch and thus move around.

Seahorses' eyes are similar to those of chameleons and can move independently of each other.

The scales of these fish can become “invisible” - merge with the environment.

Their stigma acts like a vacuum cleaner - they simply suck up plankton to eat.

Reproduction of articles and photographs is permitted only with a hyperlink to the site:

Seahorses have always surprised people with their unusual appearance. These amazing fish are one of the most ancient inhabitants of the seas and oceans. The first representatives of this fish species appeared approximately forty million years ago. They got their name because of their resemblance to the chess piece knight.

The structure of seahorses

The fish are small in size. The largest representative of this species has a body length of 30 centimeters and is considered a giant. Most seahorses have modest dimensions 10–12 centimeters.

There are also very miniature representatives of this species - dwarf fish. Their dimensions are only 13 millimeters. There are individuals measuring less than 3 millimeters.

As mentioned above, the name of these fish is determined by their appearance. In general, it is not easy to understand that this is a fish and not an animal at first glance, because the seahorse bears little resemblance to other inhabitants of the sea.

If in the vast majority of fish the main parts of the body are located in a straight line located in a horizontal plane, then in seahorses the opposite is true. They have basic body parts located in a vertical plane, and the head is at right angles to the body.

To date, scientists have described 32 species of these fish. All pipits prefer to live in shallow waters in warm seas. Since these fish are quite slow-moving, they value most coral reefs and coastal bottom, overgrown with algae, because there you can hide from enemies.

Seahorses swim very unusually. Their body stays vertical in the water while moving. This position is ensured by two swim bladders. The first is located along the entire body, and the second in the head area.

Moreover, the second bladder is much lighter than the abdominal one, which provides the fish vertical position in water when moving. In the water column, fish move due to the wave-like movements of their dorsal and pectoral fins. The vibration frequency of the fins is seventy beats per minute.

Seahorses also differ from most fish in that they do not have scales. Their body cover the bone plates, combined into belts. Such protection is quite heavy, but this weight does not in the least prevent the fish from floating freely in the water.

In addition, bone plates covered with spines serve as good protection. Their strength is so great that it is very difficult for a person to break even a dried skate shell with his hands.

Despite the fact that the seahorse's head is located at an angle of 90⁰ to the body, the fish can only move it in a vertical plane. In the horizontal plane, head movements are impossible. However, this does not create any review problems.

The fact is that this fish's eyes are not connected to each other. The horse can look with its own eyes into different sides at the same time, therefore always aware of changes in the environment.

The seahorse's tail is very unusual. He twisted and very flexible. With its help, the fish clings to corals and algae when hiding.

At first glance, it seems that seahorses were not supposed to survive in harsh sea conditions: they slow and defenseless. In fact, the fish flourished until a certain time. The ability to mimicry helped them in this.

Evolutionary processes have led to the fact that seahorses can easily blend into the surrounding area. At the same time, they can change the color of their body either completely or partially. This is quite enough so that sea predators cannot notice the skates if they are hidden.

By the way, these sea inhabitants use the ability to change the color of their body in mating games. With the help of the “color music” of the body, males attract females.

Most people believe that these fish eat vegetation. This is a misconception. In fact, these sea fish, for all their seeming harmlessness and inactivity, are notorious predators. The basis of their diet is plankton. Artemia and shrimp- their favorite delicacy.

If you carefully examine the elongated snout of the skate, you will notice that it ends in a mouth that acts like a pipette. As soon as the fish notices the prey, it turns its mouth towards it and puffs out its cheeks. In fact, the fish sucks in its prey.

It is worth noting that these sea fish are quite voracious. They can hunt for 10 hours straight. During this time they destroy up to 3,500 crustaceans. And this is with a stigma length of no more than 1 millimeter.

Reproduction of skates

Seahorses are monogamous. If a couple has formed, it will not break up until one of the partners dies, which is not uncommon in the living world. But what's really surprising is this birth of offspring by males, not females.

This happens as follows. During love games, the female, using a special papilla, introduces eggs into the male's brood pouch. Fertilization also occurs there. Then, males bear offspring for 20 and sometimes 40 days.

After this period, the already grown fry are born. The offspring are very similar to the parents, but the body of the fry transparent and colorless.

It is noteworthy that males continue to care for the offspring for some time after birth, which, however, very quickly becomes independent.

Keeping seahorses in an aquarium

You should know that these fish cannot be kept in a regular aquarium. Skates need to be created special conditions for survival:

Do not forget that these fish are quite dirty, so the water in the aquarium must be well filtered.

As you remember, skates in nature like to hide from predators in algae and coral reefs. This means that you need to create similar conditions for them in the aquarium. To do this, you can use the following elements:

• Artificial corals.
• Seaweed.
• Artificial grottoes.
• Various stones.

An important requirement is that all elements should not have sharp edges that could damage the skates.

Feeding requirements

Since in nature these fish feed on crustaceans and shrimp, you will have to buy frozen Mysis shrimp for your pets. You need to feed the skates in the aquarium at least twice a day. Once a week you can pamper them with live food:

• krill;
• Artemia;
• live shrimp.

Seahorses cannot compete for food with aggressive fish. Therefore, the choice of comrades for them is limited. Basically it's snails different types : astrea, turbo, nerite, trochus, etc. You can also add a blue hermit crab to them.

One piece of final advice: get all the information you can about these sea creatures before you start your first school.