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Seahorses are very peculiar fish with an outstanding appearance and interesting biology. They belong to the needle family of the order Kolushkoiformes. This affiliation is not accidental, because seahorses, one might say, are brothers of other interesting fish - sea needles. In total, 50 species of seahorses are known, several of the largest species are called sea dragons.

Grass sea dragon, or rag-picker horse (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus).

The appearance of seahorses is so unusual that at first glance it is difficult to recognize them as fish. The body of the skates is intricately curved, the back sticks out like a hump, the abdomen also protrudes forward, the front part of the body is thin and curved like the neck of a horse (hence the name). The head is small, its anterior part is elongated with a tube, the eyes are bulging. The tail of seahorses is long and very flexible; in a calm state, fish twist it into a ring or wrap their tail around the stems of aquatic plants. The body of the skates is covered with various thickenings, bumps, outgrowths and similar ornaments. The color of these fish is often of the same color, but different species are colored very differently. In any case, the coloring of each species very accurately imitates the color and texture of the surface on which this skate lives. Skates living among aquatic plants are often brown, yellowish, green; seahorses living among corals can be red, bright yellow, purple.

Seahorses are masters of the art of camouflage.

In addition, each fish can change its shade to some extent. Seahorses are small fish, ranging in size from 2 to 20 cm.

The smallest species, the pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti), is only 2 cm long. It is completely indistinguishable from coral branches.

These fish live in the seas of tropical and subtropical zones. Their range encircles the entire globe. Seahorses live in shallow waters among seaweed beds or among corals. These are sedentary and generally very inactive fish. Typically, seahorses wrap their tail around a twig of coral or a tuft of seagrass and spend most of their time in this position. But large sea dragons do not know how to attach themselves to vegetation. For short distances they swim holding the body vertically, if they have to leave the "house", then they can swim in an almost horizontal position. They swim slowly. In general, the nature of these fish is surprisingly calm and meek, seahorses do not show aggression towards fellow tribesmen and other fish.

The intricately decorated leafy sea dragon (Phycodurus eques) is indistinguishable from its surroundings.

They feed on plankton. They track down the smallest crustaceans, rolling their eyes funny. As soon as the prey approaches the miniature hunter, the seahorse puffs out its cheeks, creating negative pressure in the oral cavity and sucks the crustacean like a vacuum cleaner. Despite their small size, skates are big eaters and can indulge in gluttony up to 10 hours a day.

Seahorses are monogamous fish, they live in married couples, but can periodically change partners. Characteristically, these fish bear eggs, with males and females changing roles. During the mating season, a tubular ovipositor grows in females, and in the male, thickened folds in the tail area form a bag. Before spawning, partners perform a long mating dance.

A spawning pair of seahorses.

The female lays the eggs in the male's pouch and he incubates them for about 2 weeks. Newborn fry exit the pouch through a narrow opening. Sea dragons do not have a bag and carry eggs on the tail stalk. The fertility of different species ranges from 5 to 1500 fry. Newborn fish are completely independent and move away from the parent pair.

Eggs on the tail of a sea dragon.

Currently, many species of seahorses have become very rare, and some are even on the verge of extinction. This is facilitated by the massive catch of these fish and their low fertility. Seahorses are caught for meat, which is used in cooking in eastern countries and in oriental medicine. In addition, souvenirs made from dried seahorses are very popular. Keeping seahorses in aquariums is not very easy, they are demanding on food and prone to disease, but it is very interesting to watch them.

Leafy sea dragon hatches eggs.

how a male seahorse gives birth to fry.

The seahorse is an amazing and unusual representative of tropical waters. Its appearance and some features of life differ from representatives of the marine environment. Among connoisseurs of such individuals, the question is common: a seahorse is a fish or an animal. The answer to it is simple - the individual belongs to the animal kingdom and the class of ray-finned fish. After many years of research, scientists have proven that the animal is a close relative of the needlefish.

The seahorse belongs to the animal kingdom and the class of ray-finned fish.

General information

Since the animal is considered a highly modified species of pipefish, it belongs to the order Needle-shaped. The unusual body of the skate really resembles a piece in chess. Perhaps this was the reason for giving the animal such a name.

In the natural environment, you can meet the seahorse in subtropical and tropical reservoirs around the world. Salty and maximally pure water is the best condition for its comfortable living. The size of the seahorse is small and ranges from 2 to 30-32 cm. It is quite rare to find individuals that reach 35 cm in length.

There are many theories about where the seahorse lives, since it was met in different parts of the world. Most often, the animal can be found in the waters of Australia, sometimes England. Sometimes individual species are found in the Azov and Black Seas. It prefers to stay close to the bottom and uses the algae as cover, camouflaging itself in the algae and changing color according to the color of the algae.

The seahorse prefers to be at the bottom of the reservoir and hide in the algae.

The body of the fish is covered with a very hard and bony shell. which protects against the negative effects of the environment. Often there are spikes of different lengths and shapes on the body, some are covered with long ribbon-like processes of different colors. Surprisingly, this fish does not have scales. The head will become a feature of the structure, since it is very firmly attached to the body and does not turn. If the skate wants to look back, he turns his whole body or bulges his eyes.

Each eye moves separately from the other. This feature is also inherent in chameleons, which can rotate each eye separately in a circle. There is debate about how long seahorses live, as they usually live up to 4 years, but in some cases you can find representatives who live up to 6 years.

Another feature of the fish is its vertical position in the water. This is possible due to the fact that the swim bladder is divided into two sections by a thin septum and allows you to maintain a vertical position.

Popular types

There are about 50 species of seahorses in their natural habitat. Each of them differs in size, appearance and some features of the structure. The most common are the following:

In southern Japan, dwarf individuals can be found. They are painted in light colors with purple stripes or spots. Perfectly disguised as corals. They have a body length of no more than 3 cm. They prefer not to descend to a depth of more than 40 meters.

Nutrition Features

Amazing fish are one of the few species that are not hunted by other inhabitants of the deep sea. It's all about the structure of individuals, which is dominated by spikes and bone plates. Such food is not able to digest large predatory fish or other hunters. The only one who can eat a skate is a sand crab, whose stomach is able to digest what they eat.

The skates themselves feed on plankton.

The favorite delicacy of these unusual fish is crayfish cubs and other small fish. Thanks to the amazing ability of the skate to disguise itself and remain motionless for several hours, it successfully hunts them. It waits for the moment when the victim approaches and draws it along with water into its mouth.

Seahorses do not have a stomach. Therefore they are very greedy.

Despite their small size, seahorses are very voracious and are capable of hunting and eating a large number of small individuals up to 10 hours a day. This is due to the fact that individuals do not have a stomach, so food quickly passes through all parts of the digestive system. If you keep them in captivity, There are a few feeding rules to follow:

• Captive-bred individuals are capable of feeding on dead daphnia, shrimp, and other small individuals, as well as dry fish food.
• The food must be fresh.
• Individuals should be fed regularly, but overeating should not be allowed, since in captivity this can cause a variety of diseases.

It is allowed to install a variety of feeders in which food is placed. A few days after the installation of such an innovation, the individuals themselves will understand that this is a new place for eating. Near the feeders, several long rods or sticks should be installed so that the skates can cling to them while eating.

seahorse breeding

Unusual fish lead a sedentary lifestyle and are in one place almost all the time. In case of danger, they can develop a decent speed or attach themselves to large fish so that they move them to a safer place.

The fish is loyal and throughout life prefers to be close to one partner. Only in rare cases does a female or male change a life partner. The most incredible will be the fact that in a married couple, the male bears the offspring. After the start of spawning, the couple performs a certain mating dance for a long time. After that, the female transfers the eggs to a special pocket, which is located on the male's belly.

After 2 weeks of gestation, fry come out of the pocket, which are already independent and immediately set off for free swimming. Different types of seahorses differ in their fecundity and can lay from 5 to 2000 eggs at a time.

Breeding skates in captivity is quite difficult and an aquarium hobbyist will not be able to handle it. Despite the fact that individuals are quite popular among aquarists, keeping them in an artificial environment has many nuances. If the conditions are not met, they begin to get sick and die.

Currently, seahorses of various species are on the verge of extinction. This is due to the fact that in many countries the fish is an expensive delicacy, and it is caught on an industrial scale. In some regions of Australia and Asia, skates are used as a raw material for the preparation of various ointments and medicines.

Humanity has known about the healing properties of the meat of this amazing fish since ancient times and included it in many dishes. However, then amateur fishing could not significantly reduce the number of individuals. Now the catch has become a real problem, as it gradually leads to the complete disappearance of the species.

01/11/2017 at 21:34 Moscow time 5 631

The seahorse is a fish that is unique in nature and has an interesting body shape.

At first glance, it is very similar to one of the most recognizable chess pieces.

There are more than 50 species of these creatures in the world, but only thirty-two species have been studied in detail.

In addition, anthropologists have made sensational conclusions based on the prehistoric fossils found, they say that in the past it is a specifically modified needle fish.

An interesting ability of these marine inhabitants is that the male becomes the breeder. The process itself will be discussed in detail a little later.

The appearance and body structure of this species of fish are able to adapt to any environment. Once in the territory that strongly betrays her appearance, she immediately changes the appearance of her color in a few minutes like a chameleon and merges with the underwater environment.

His body is endowed with many spikes of various sizes, ribbon-like leathery outgrowths that are on his body, are also able to hide him in the depths of the sea from the eyes of a predator and potential victims.

There are at least two popular types of these wonderful creatures. The dwarf skate has a body length not exceeding 2.5 cm. It lives in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Malayan species of skates is quite larger than its aforementioned counterpart, its body length can reach up to 25 centimeters.

The small mobility of this fish is provided by its eyes, which have a remarkable ability. Eyeballs are able to move independently of each other, thereby increasing horizons.

This species is distributed in places with a subtropical climate from the coast of Indonesia to Australia. It also lives along the Atlantic coasts of Europe, North America and Africa. Little-studied species live in the waters of the Pacific Ocean closer to the shores of the United States.

Overgrown sea shallow water is an ideal habitat for this fish. It also actively inhabits swampy or sandy water areas.

This fish leads a predominantly solitary and sedentary lifestyle, so as not to drift during high tide and low tide, it clings to algae or corals with its flexible and powerful tail.

It is worth noting that most of their lives they are in shallow water, in a slight current with a water temperature of at least +25. The current carries a huge amount of plankton necessary for food. Movement in water is carried out with the help of a vertebral fin, which performs more than 30 strokes in one second.

Nutrition

His diet is very meager, the daily menu includes:

• plankton;
• small fish
• crustaceans;
• shrimps;

He himself becomes a victim of enemies very rarely, as he is a master of disguises. Thanks to this, the victim, not noticing the danger, approaches him herself, having a tubular snout, the skate is able to suck it in at a distance of three centimeters.

Enemies

Due to its anatomical structure of the skeleton, not every enemy is able to digest its many small, but very strong bones.

Land crab - is the single most dangerous and ruthless enemy for this species of fish.

The reverse distribution of roles between male and female makes this species even more mysterious. The breeding season in tropical warm waters can take place all year round, while in cold waters - in spring and summer.

During the mating season, the male makes sounds resembling finger snaps so that her gaze falls on him. After a while, the female reciprocates and approaches him. Taking this opportunity, we want to invite you to listen to our huge collection of sounds from the category:.

In a special pocket, located under the tail of the male, the female throws in a huge amount of fertilized eggs, providing him with further care for future offspring, and she herself disappears away to mate with other males.

The term for the development of caviar may be different, this is due to the temperature of the water. In warm water, it is no more than 14 days, and in cold water, 28 days. To feed the fry, the male secretes a special liquid into his bag.

When the offspring matures, the male releases the fry already able to swim into the wild. Their number depends on the species, the minimum of them can be 50, the maximum is more than 1000 individuals.

Many people wonder: why is the seahorse in an upright position? We decided to investigate and answer this interesting question. .

The reason is as follows; the stabilizing swim bladder of this fish is located along the entire body and is divided by a septum that separates the upper body from the rest.

As a result, the head bladder is larger than the abdominal one, it is this arrangement of the bladder that provides the fish with a vertical position.

Irreparable damage to the taxon is caused by fishing trawls, which destroy the seabed along with the natural habitat of the marine organism.

Currently, all types of skates are listed in the Red Book and are strictly protected by law. Reasons for this abound, for example; while you are reading this post, illegal fishing for this exotic creature is underway off the coast of Malaysia. In these countries, it is a delicacy and is very popular among tourists..

In the wild, this interesting species of fish can exist for no more than 7 years.

To date, the closest relative of our hero is the stickleback fish.

1. Some species of marine organisms are threatened with extinction.
2. Floats in an upright position.
3. Souvenirs depicting this fish are actively purchased by tourists in East Asia.
4. The liver and eyes of this fish are considered a delicacy; in fish restaurants, a serving of this dish can cost up to $1,000.
5. The male himself is engaged in the withdrawal of offspring.

Don't crucian, don't perch,
Has a long neck
Who is he? Guess soon!
Well, of course, horse!

Seahorse (from lat. Hippocampus) is a small cute marine fish of an unusual shape from the genus of bony fish (family of sea needles) of the needle-shaped order. Looking at this fish, the chess piece of a horse immediately comes to mind. The long neck is a distinctive feature of the skate. If you disassemble the horse into parts of the body, then its head resembles a horse's, the tail is a monkey, the eyes are from a chameleon, and the outer integuments resemble those of insects. The unusual structure of the tail allows the skate to cling to seaweed and corals and hide in them, sensing danger. The ability to mimic (camouflage) makes the seahorse almost invulnerable. The seahorse feeds on plankton. Young skates are quite voracious and can eat for 10 hours in a row, eating up to three thousand crustaceans and shrimps. The vertical position of the seahorse relative to the water is its distinguishing feature.

It is interesting that the seahorse is a caring father and faithful spouse. The heavy burden of motherhood falls on the shoulders of the male. The seahorse independently bears the cub in a special bag, which is located in the lower part of the abdomen of the seahorse. It is there that during mating games the female introduces caviar. If the female dies, the male remains faithful to the partner for a long time and vice versa, if the male dies, the female remains faithful to the male for up to 4 weeks.

Dimensions

The size of a seahorse varies from two to three centimeters to 30. Thirty centimeters is the size of a giant seahorse. The average size is 10 or 12 centimeters. The smallest representatives - pygmy seahorses have about 13 or even 3 millimeters. With a size of 13 centimeters, the weight of a seahorse is about 10 grams.

A few more photos with seahorses.

The seahorse is an unusual animal resembling a small magic horse ranging in size from 1.5 to 30 centimeters. It is related to the needle fish. An inhabitant of salty tropical waters is also found off the coast of Eastern Canada and Great Britain. Some species exist in fresh waters. The sea dweller is of constant interest to children and adults.

Appearance

Seahorse - interesting facts for children about appearance. The movement involves a small fin on the back, oscillating up to 35 times per second. Rowing with two gill fins maintains vertical balance. They are weak swimmers, some dwarf species move at a speed of one and a half meters per hour. Spiraling up and down provides a change in the volume of the swim bladder.

They are able to change color depending on the surrounding plants, therefore they are invisible in the aquatic environment. The body is covered with bony armor instead of scales. Like tropical birds, they have a rich color palette with stripes and specks. They are difficult to distinguish from corals.

Observation is carried out by a pair of eyes that can look in opposite directions.

Beautiful representatives of fish breathe with the help of gills, have a swim bladder located throughout the body, which makes it possible to vertically position themselves in the water.

A peculiar tail helps to attach to the fins and make long journeys “on horseback” on other fish.

Behavior

Interesting Seahorse Facts - Behavior. Due to the peculiarities of the digestive system, they need constant nutrition, which enters the body with water. Food is not only plankton, crustaceans, shrimps, larvae, but also small fish. There are no teeth and stomach, absorption occurs through the proboscis. They do not chase prey, but patiently wait for it to swim by itself, so a small current is needed for a comfortable life.

Life expectancy is limited to 4-5 years, but they manage to leave a million offspring.

They don't do well in aquariums. The reason is an unusual environment, susceptibility to stress. They need a lot of small living creatures for food: more than 3 thousand crustaceans and shrimps per day. Without food, they quickly die from exhaustion.

The female transfers the eggs from her body to a special bag to the male. Thus, males carry offspring for 1.5 months. This is one of the few species when dad is worn with a child. The number of fry ranges from 1600 to 2, depending on the species. Born cubs immediately go on an independent journey.

The main enemies of the skate are crabs, penguins, rays and other hungry predators. Almost the entire body is made up of bones, scales, and spines. Few want to feast on such prey.

Red Book

For several years, the unique fish has been a symbol of the naval power of the Northern Fleet. It was displayed on the emblem of Zaozersk, a city in the Murmansk region. Then the image of the skate was replaced with a dolphin.

In the coastal waters of Russia, there are 2 species of fish that live in the Black, Azov and Japanese Seas.

The Red Book lists 30 species of animals out of 32. Their habitats are still being polluted, numerous jellyfish destroy the nutrient plankton. The reason for the mass capture is a beautiful appearance.

One out of a hundred fry is able to grow to maturity. The causes of extinction are associated with the economic activities of people. Fish are caught by the Chinese, Filipinos, Indonesians for pseudo-medical purposes (of course, these creatures cannot cure anyone) and making souvenirs from dried exhibits.

Seahorse liver and eyes are considered a healthy delicacy and are served in expensive restaurants. Fried skates on sticks offer Chinese cuisine.

The breeding of these creatures is successfully carried out in the zoos of Berlin, Stuttgart, Basel, in the California and the National Aquarium of Baltimore.