SEAHORSES

SEAHORSE

Seahorses are small marine fishes which are categorized in the genus Hippocampus. In latin, 'hippos' means horse, and 'kampos' means monster. Although they are considered as fish, they do not have fish-like scales. Instead, they have a long neck, a snout, a hard body, an upright posture, and a curled tail. Very different from Nemo, eh?

You can find seahorses in shallow waters across the world. Sheltered areas such as seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs, or mangroves.

Seahorses needs food too, just like any other living thing. They find their food by using their excellent camouflage skill and patience to ambush their prey with striking speed. What sorts of prey? Well, seahorses feed on small crustaceans such as mysid shrimp, other invertebrates, and even larval fish.

             

Their reproduction cycle is definitely a unique one. From the left picture above you can see the cycle. The first stage is courtship, where the male and female seahorse 'get to know' one another for a few days before breeding. Then, the eggs are deposited by the female into male! Weird right? After the eggs have been deposited, they will grow inside the males pouch for several weeks until they become babies. Then, the male will give birth to hundreds of his tiny seahorse babies.  

Seahorses also have some functions. Some are kept as pets, others may be enjoyed as a delicacy, while some are made as traditional Chinese medicine.

All in all, seahorses are definitely amazing aquatic creatures that should be nurtured and protected.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seahorse#/media/File:Black_Sea_fauna_Seahorse.JPG
http://s3.thingpic.com/images/12/xE85D3kVehJYEQg9mSXv4HH9.jpeg
http://www.fusedjaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/IngensWithFood.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seahorse#/media/File:Seahorse_lifecycle.svg
https://www.google.com/search?q=pregnant+seahorse&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj5orWomJnQAhXEQY8KHbuLAnQQ_AUICCgB&biw=1280&bih=634#imgrc=XO6CxvR26tTBiM%3A

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiEsfTwnpnQAhXJOo8KHVhxA_AQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fvrr0865%2Fseahorse-reference%2F&bvm=bv.137904068,d.c2I&psig=AFQjCNGJ4kA_aYLhjtqeYQsFqHM_BukNkA&ust=1478696293575789
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https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi_tdqhn5nQAhVKRo8KHaVvD8gQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSeahorse&bvm=bv.137904068,d.c2I&psig=AFQjCNEaX33CnjhBHf53etTDeH9aioy2Aw&ust=1478696500720123
https://www.google.com/search?q=pregnant+seahorse&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj5orWomJnQAhXEQY8KHbuLAnQQ_AUICCgB&biw=1280&bih=634#tbm=isch&q=seahorse+as+medicine&imgrc=Kr4xn9it7x0tkM%3A