There is no one in particular who does not like fish. Some as food or some as passion adore fosh. In fish there are lakhs of species, and all are different as per their character. We all know about star fish, which is quite different like and so is ‘Sea Horse’.
A seahorse is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus Hippocampus. “Hippocampus”meaning “horse” and campus meaning “sea monster”.
Having a head and neck suggestive of a horse, seahorses also feature segmented bony armour, an upright posture and a curled prehensile tail.
Seahorses are mainly found in shallow tropical and temperate salt water throughout the world, from about 45°S to 45°N. They live in sheltered areas such as seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs, and mangroves. Four species are found in Pacific waters from North America to South America. Seahorses are usually found clinging to plants or corals with their tails. Their sedentary habits coupled with excellent camouflage abilities render them successful in ambushing predators. When small organisms swim nearby, a seahorse may capture them by rapidly sucking them into the mouth. Seahorses also rely upon camouflage to avoid predators such as crabs and other fishes.
Seahorses range in size from 1.5 to 35 cm. They are named for their equine appearance, with bent necks and long snouted heads and a distinctive trunk and tail. Although they are bony fish, they do not have scales, but rather thin skin stretched over a series of bony plates, which are arranged in rings throughout their bodies.
Each species has a distinct number of rings. The armour of bony plates also protect them against predators, and because of this outer skeleton, they no longer have ribs. Seahorses swim upright, propelling themselves using the dorsal fin, another characteristic not shared by their close pipefish relatives, which swim horizontally. Razorfish are the only other fish that swim vertically. The pectoral fins, located on either side of the head behind their eyes, are used for steering. They lack the caudal fin typical of fishes. Their prehensile tail is composed of square-like rings that can be unlocked only in the most extreme conditions. They are adept at camouflage, and can grow and reabsorb spiny appendages depending on their habitat.
Seahorses are rather immobile, swimming more slowly than other fishes. When swimming they maintain a vertical position and propel themselves forward using a soft-rayed dorsal fin. They use pectoral fins located on the side of the head to manoeuver. Some scientists contend that this upright swimming posture evolved shortly after the expansion of sea grasses in the western Pacific roughly 25 million years ago. These plants provided seahorses with useful hiding places to avoid enemies and to capture unsuspecting prey, and ancestors of the seahorse evolved to maximise the opportunities offered by this new habitat.
The reproductive behaviour of seahorses is notable in that the male carries the fertilised eggs. After an elaborate courtship, the female uses an ovipositor to place her eggs into a brood pouch located at the base of the male’s tail where the eggs are later fertilized. Depending on the species, the eggs remain in the pouch between 10 days and six weeks. During this time the male nurtures the developing young by regulating the chemistry of the fluid inside the pouch, slowly transforming it from that of his internal body fluids to that of salt water as pregnancy progresses.To nourish the growing young, the male also produces inorganic compounds and releases the hormone prolactin, which helps break down the proteins contributed by the female. Once the eggs hatch, the male convulses his body and expels the young through a single opening in the pouch.
Seahorses use their long snouts to eat their food with ease. However, they are slow to consume their food and have extremely simple digestive systems that lack a stomach, so they must eat constantly to stay alive.
Seahorses feed on small crustaceans floating in the water or crawling on the bottom. With excellent camouflage seahorses ambush prey that floats within striking range, sitting and waiting until an optimal moment.
Commercially, seahorses are traded live as aquarium animals and dead for use in traditional medicines and as curios. Threatened by direct overfishing, accidental capture (bycatch) in other fisheries, and the destruction of their coastal habitats, some species—such as the Pacific seahorse face extinction.