Pacific Seahorse

Animal Unique | Pacific Seahorse | The Pacific seahorse is a kind of fish in the Syngnathidae family. The Pacific seahorse is found in the Pacific from San Diego, California (USA) to Peru including the Galapagos Islands. It is active during the day and night. Its natural habitat is coral reefs. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is found in offshore waters at a depth of 2m to 30m and is occasionally caught on the surface. Are often camouflaged in brown algae and the branches of gorgonians and black coral trees where they are seen to curl their tail around the branches.  The genus name is derived from the Greek hippos or "horse" and the campus or "sea monster".

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:     Actinopterygii
Order:     Gasterosteiformes
Family:     Syngnathidae
Genus:     Hippocampus
Species:     H. ingens

 

Pacific seahorses are one of the largest of the 34 known species of seahorses in the world, and can reach 30 cm in length. Pacific seahorses have a horse-shaped head and a body and tail, which is covered with bony concentric rings. They are prominent, long (drooping), rounded cheek spines, prominent eye spine (may be broad or almost double). The male often have a prominent keel and sexually mature females often have a dark patch below the anal fin. Pacific seahorses are usually red-maroon, gray, yellow and gold or various shades of brown. They may have fine white light and dark spots vertically down body.
 

In seahorses, the female uses her ovipositor her eggs in brood pouch of the male where they are fertilized and hatched to continue. After a period of time ranging from ten days to six weeks, depending on the type and temperature, the man gives birth to hundreds of live, small, seahorses, which are miniature replicas of adults. 

Seahorses feed on bottom organisms such as swarms of mysids and other plankton. Seahorses lack teeth and stomach. Prey is consumed by sucking their bony snout with a quick snap of the head. Seahorses are constantly in danger of overfishing and habitat destruction. Seahorses are exploited for traditional medicines and as aquarium fish and their habitats are among the most endangered marine environment.

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