Seahorse: Everything You Need To Know
Without a doubt, the seahorse is a very curious animal that catches the attention of scientists. He swims from the front, has a muzzle similar to a horse, and males are the ones who “get pregnant”. Discover this fascinating species in this article.
Why is it called a seahorse?
The word hippocampus is the one used formally to describe this species of the Syngnathidae family , which also includes the so-called pipefish.
This word comes from two classical Greek terms: hippos , meaning “horse”, and kampos , meaning “sea monster”. The first is undoubtedly due to its resemblance to horses – mainly the muzzle and head – and the second, due to its different shape from other fish and its peculiar way of swimming underwater.
More than 50 species of seahorses live in tropical and shallow waters with warm temperatures of up to 28 °C. They can be found mainly in corals and mangroves off the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Another peculiar aspect is that they have the ability to blend in with the environment, either changing their skin color or developing long filaments that make them look like plants or algae.
In this way, they escape their main predators: tuna, goldfish, crab and red snapper, among others. They are too slow to swim!
Physical characteristics
One of the aspects that most impresses us about the seahorse is its body, which is covered by a kind of “armor” with rings or bone plates. And not only that, but also a prehensile spiral tail – which allows it to cling to underwater plants and corals.
A seahorse is a fish that breathes through its gills, but whose body is supported by a spine. In turn, it has an elongated mouth tube that resembles that of a horse, hence one of its names.
Seahorse reproduction
Undoubtedly, it is one of the main curiosities of the seahorse, as it is the males who “get pregnant” and take care of the babies later. Reproduction is seasonal, that is, it happens when the water temperature increases.
The fertilization of eggs occurs when they enter the father’s ventral sac, with the help of the female’s cloacal appendix. This feminine strategy is to ensure that the eggs come from a single pair. In this way, litter monogamy is ensured.
When the father becomes pregnant, he carries his babies for a maximum of six weeks (this is also determined by the water temperature).
After that time, it is the moment of “birth”, which is quite painful and traumatic for man. With the help of its own tail, it grabs onto a plant or coral and contracts its body several times in a row, so that the chicks – which are an exact copy of their father, but smaller in size – come out.
In a single moment, he can give birth to up to 400 children. During the first few days, babies enter and exit the parental ventral sac several times whenever they sense danger.
It is worth noting that seahorses are a monogamous species, in which couples are related for life. They are a very territorial species, in which the female moves more than the male: 100 m² and 1 m², respectively.
