Seahorses

^^A seahorse attached to soft coral.^^

The name "Seahorse" is made from the Ancient Greek 'hippos' (horse) and 'kampos' (sea monster). Seahorses are found in shallow tropical and temperate waters. They live in areas such as seagrass beds, coral reefs, or mangroves because they do not swim well. In their local areas, they turn brown and gray to blend in to their surroundings. When they are swimming, mating, or travel into other places, they turn into bright colors. Seahorses are bony fish, but they do not have scales. They have a thin layer of skin stretched over bony plates. They also have a coronet on their head. Each is distinct to each individual seahorse.

Before breeding, seahorses go through a brief period of "dating". While this process takes place, they may change color, swim side by side holding tails or grip the same strand of sea grass with their tails and perform a “pre-dawn dance". The female seahorse then releases thousands of eggs into a pouch in the male seahorse. After breeding the female swims away. The male fertilizes the eggs and carries them. During this time the eggs stay in the pouch which acts like an incubator, the female returns every morning for a few minutes before swimming away again. The male stays in the same place and scontinues collecting food.

On average, 100-200 are born in one cycle. Some species release 5 and others release 1,200 offsprings. The males usually release them at night and are ready to receive a new set of eggs in the morning. As most fish species, they do not take care of their young. The survival rate of each cycle is actually higher than most other species because the male carries the fertilized eggs instead of leaving them.