Seahorses have intrigued humankind for millennia. Their horse-shaped head is so unusual, they are slow swimmers and their body seems armored with rings of fused scales. They seem so odd that many refuse to believe they are fish. They are ambush predators, drifting in the weeds or grass and wrapping their prehensile tail around a stem they can easily sneak up on their small prey. Using their tubular straw-like mouth they suck in small prey like copepods, skeleton or mysid shrimp. Their cousins, the pipefish, have a similar lifestyle hiding in grass beds. Reproduction in seahorses is very unusual, the female lays eggs into the brood pouch on the abdomen of the male. He then provides a safe and nutrient-rich habitat for the developing eggs that terminates in a labored delivery very similar to what is seen in mammals where the young seahorses are expelled.
Join us for a discussion of these slow predators this Friday, May 8th at 11AM ONLY on our Facebook page to learn more about the sloths of the sea! We will be having a LIVE Q&A session so send in any questions you have.
Sincerely,
Alyson Chin
Aquarist at Gulf Specimen Aquarium
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