The Animals
Seahorses
Seahorses have prehensile tails which are similar to that of a monkeys’ and can grab onto anything. This is a reflex action.
They have a sealed jaw (that’s what the word syngnathide means) with a mouth opening at the end of the jaw.
The fin on their back is called a dorsal fin and propels them forward and they maintain their balance with small pectoral fins situated on either side of the back of their head.
Seahorses perform colour changes using small special organs in the skin known as “Chromatophores”. These are tiny elastic bags of dense pigment that can be expanded and contracted to show a spot of a particular colour, a bit like the pixels in a television screen. Turning these spots on and off allows them to display particular colours.
West Australian Seahorse – Hippocampus elongatus
- Found on the central WA coast only.
- Maximum size 20cm.
- Common species found around the Perth region.
- Colour highly variable grey, yellow, brown, burgundy, red with thin dark barring.
Big Bellied Seahorse – Hippocampus abdominalis
- Found from NSW around to SA including Tasmania and New Zealand.
- Maximum length 25-30cm
- Maximum depth 12m.
- Largest and most common seahorse in southern Australia.
- Males incubate eggs in pouch.
- The male and female begin courting behaviour by the male inflating his pouch with water and parading before the female. The bigger the pouch the more attractive he is, and the more offspring she thinks he will be able to nurture.
- They will bond for three to four days before completing the mating dance together.
- As they approach the surface of the tank the female will face the male and sit above his pouch. She will tickle the males pouch with a tiny fin located under her abdomen, this will encourage him to open the hole at the top of the pouch and then she will deposit her eggs into the pouch.
- Soon the pouch is flooded with sperm to fertilise the eggs.
- The tanks are 1.2m high in order for this mating ritual to be successful.
- Gestation is approximately 30 days with birth rates depending on the male pouch size. 200 to 600 is quite common. Record birth is 1116!
- Babies are typically born at night to protect them from predators and other hungry seahorses in the colony.
Short-snout Seahorse – Hippocampus breviceps
- Found from WA around to NSW including northern Tasmania.
- Otherwise known as a pygmy seahorse.
- Maximum length 8cm
- Rarely seen because of their good camouflage.
- Fish can be identified by pale blue spots over the body, and relatively short snout.
White’s Seahorse (Sydney Seahorse) – Hippocampus whitei
- Found from SA to Noosa in QLD occasionally found in TAS.
- Maximum size 15cm.
- Colours variable browns and yellows predominant body usually flecked with fine white spots.
- Species particularly abundant in Sydney Harbour.
Dwarf Seahorse - Hippocampus zosterae
- Adult Height 2-3cm
- Found in Florida, Pensacola, Texas and the Bahamas
- Short snout, high cornet with spines or projections.
- Colours are generally beige, yellow, green, black. May have white markings like splashes of paint; some specimens with dark spots.
- Live in shallow grass flats, periodically found in floating vegetation.
- Breeding season mid February to late October.
- Gestation period 10 – 13 days but varies with water temperature.
- Brood size 3 – 25.
- Life expectancy 1 – 2 years.
- Males more site faithful than females
Slender Seahorse – Hippocampus reidi
- Also known as the long-snouted seahorse.
- Height 10 – 18cm
- Low-medium, rounded coronet. May be quite large and convoluted (like a crumpled piece of paper)
- Eye spines are broad almost double in size. Long thick snout, narrow body.
- Colour: often profusely spotted with brown and tiny white dots (especially on tail). May have paler ‘saddles’ across the dorsal-lateral surfaces.
- Live 15m to 55m depth on gorgonian coral, seagrass and mangrove.
- Found in the Americas.
- Breeding season more than 8 months in laboratory. Gestation 14 days (varies with water temperature).
- Brood size 200 – 1600 young.
Yellow Seahorse – Hippocampus kuda
- Also known as the yellow spotted Seahorse World Pty. Ltd.
- Height 7-17cm
- Deep head, deep body and thick snout.
- Often totally black with a grainy texture; alternatively pale yellow or cream with fairly large, dark spots (especially females); may be sandy coloured, blending in with the surroundings.
- Habitat in shallow inshore waters, mangroves, seagrass beds and estuaries. Also found in open water and attached to drifting weed up to 20km from shore.
- Found in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
- Breeds during the wet season in Indonesia; gestation period 20-28 days(but varies with water temperature).
- Brood size 200-1000.
Pacific Seahorse – Hippocampus ingens
- Height 13-19cm
- Coronet is tilted backwards with five well-defined points, sharp edges or flanges on top.
- Prominent, long (drooping) cheek spines. Prominent eye spines.
- Sexually mature males often have a dark patch below the anal fin.
- Colour reddish-maroon, grey, yellow and gold; various shades of brown; may have fine white light and dark markings running vertically down body.
- Live at depths of 1-20m. 60m maximum. Live on black coral.
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