seahorse

seahorse common name for certain small fishes of the family Syngnathidae, inhabiting warm waters but sometimes found as far north as Cape Cod. The elongated head and snout of a seahorse, flexed at right angles to the body, suggest those of a horse.

Members of different species range in size from .6 to 8 in. (1.6-20 cm); all feed on minute organisms. Protected by thin bony plates that are derivatives of the scales found in most fishes, the seahorse swims weakly in an upright position by means of rapid, hummingbirdlike beats of its fins; at rest it curls its thin, prehensile tail around seaweed. Some seahorses have deceptive leaflike appendages, and others are poisonous.

While linked in the mating embrace (during which the seahorses utter musical sounds) the female forces the eggs into a pouch on the underside of the male, where they are fertilized and where they remain, feeding on nutrients provided by the vascular lining of the pouch, until they are expelled as miniature versions of the adult.

The pipefishes, belonging to the same family, comprise about 50 species, whose members range in size from 4 to 12 in. (10-30 cm) long. They are slightly more fishlike in appearance and are able to change color, but have the long snout and unusual breeding habits of the seahorse.

Seahorses are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Gasterosteiformes, family Syngnathidae.

sea·horse / ˈsēˌhôrs/ (also sea horse) • n. 1. a small marine fish (genus Hippocampus, family Syngnathidae) with segmented bony armor, an upright posture, and a head and neck suggestive of a horse. Many species include the American H. hudsonius. 2. a mythical creature with a horse's head and fish's tail.

seahorses, are highly specialized fishes of the family Syngnathidae (pipefishes and sea dragons). There are about 35 known species; the exact number is uncertain because, like chameleons, they are adept at changing colour to match their surroundings, which has misled some biologists into thinking they have caught a new species. They range in size from about 2 to 30 centimetres (1–12 in.) in length, and are most common in shallow tropical and temperate seas. They have tubular mouths, adapted to suck up individual small plankton. Seahorses swim upright with their heads at right angles to their bony-plated bodies, sculling with their fins. The tail is prehensile and used to anchor the fish in its habitat on coral reefs, and in beds of sea grass or seaweeds, and mangroves. Male and female seahorses form stable long-term partnerships. The female lays her eggs into the brood pouch on the male's chest. He then cares for the young until they have grown too large to fit in his pouch and are able to fend for themselves. In most species the average brood is 100–200. They are highly territorial and occupy quite small home ranges. They are easily disturbed and even if they were not in high demand, they would be under threat because of habitat degradation. However, seahorses are over-exploited because they are used in potions for folk medicine, to stock home aquaria, and dried as curios for tourists.

http://seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca/

M. V. Angel