rykna
Active Member
Dwarf seahorse
Hippocampus zosterae
Dwarf seahorses live among beds of sea grass. With their long tails, they hitch themselves to blades of grass as they graze on tiny animals that drift by with the currents.
As with other seahorses, when dwarf seahorses mate, the female deposits her eggs into a special pouch on the male’s belly. The pouch seals shut while he nurtures the developing eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the pouch opens and the male goes into labor—giving birth to his tiny young.
Diet krill, fish fry and other tiny animals
Size to 1.5 inches (3.8 cm)
Range northern Gulf of Mexico to the Bahamas
Relatives pipefish, seadragons, Family: Syngnathidae
Conservation Notes Like many seahorses, dwarf seahorses face an uncertain future—their fertile pastures are disappearing. They live along the coasts of Texas, Florida and the Bahamas. But as more and more people crowd the coastlines there, dredging, pollution and development destroy the dwarf seahorses’ habitats.
Cool Facts Their name fits; dwarf seahorses are one of the smallest members of the seahorse stable.
Hippocampus zosterae
Dwarf seahorses live among beds of sea grass. With their long tails, they hitch themselves to blades of grass as they graze on tiny animals that drift by with the currents.
As with other seahorses, when dwarf seahorses mate, the female deposits her eggs into a special pouch on the male’s belly. The pouch seals shut while he nurtures the developing eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the pouch opens and the male goes into labor—giving birth to his tiny young.
Diet krill, fish fry and other tiny animals
Size to 1.5 inches (3.8 cm)
Range northern Gulf of Mexico to the Bahamas
Relatives pipefish, seadragons, Family: Syngnathidae
Conservation Notes Like many seahorses, dwarf seahorses face an uncertain future—their fertile pastures are disappearing. They live along the coasts of Texas, Florida and the Bahamas. But as more and more people crowd the coastlines there, dredging, pollution and development destroy the dwarf seahorses’ habitats.
Cool Facts Their name fits; dwarf seahorses are one of the smallest members of the seahorse stable.
