Seahorse is the name given to 54 species of small marine fishes in the genus Hippocampus. “Hippocampus” comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning “horse” and kampos meaning “sea monster”.
Fast Facts about Seahorse
1. Found in shallow tropical and temperate waters throughout the world, these upright-swimming relatives of the pipefish can range in size from 0.6 inches (1.5 centimeters) to 14 inches (35 centimeters) long.
2. Despite their specific body shape, seahorses have gills, swim bladder and fins, just like all other fishes.
Also Read: Amazing Animal Facts (Jellyfish)
3. Seahorses find a companion that they’ll stay with for life. They’re monogamous creatures, meaning they only mate with one other seahorse for their entire lives.
4. Seahorses feed on plankton and small crustaceans. They do not have a stomach, so food passes through their bodies very quickly, and they need to eat nearly constantly.
5. Colour of the seahorse body matches with its environment. Some species change their body color under stress conditions or as a part of mating ritual.
6. Seahorses are actually pretty bad swimmers. What makes them really different from other swimmers in the sea, however, is that they swim upright. And when storms hit, these delicate creatures can actually become so exhausted that they can die as a result.
7. Seahorses hold a Guinness World Record as the slowest swimmers in the ocean. Dwarf seahorse swims 5 feet per hour.
Also Read: Top 10 Slowest Animals In The World
8. Seahorses interact with each other by producing the clicking sounds. These sounds are also produced during meals.
9. Male seahorses have a pouch on the front side of their body. When female deposits her eggs inside the pouch, male fertilizes them internally. Male can carry up to 2000 babies at the time.
10. Pregnancy lasts between two and five weeks. Young seahorses look like miniature versions of their parents. Lifespan of most seahorse species is between one and five years both in the wild and in the captivity.
