Wildlife discovery: Journey with Seahorses

Did you know that there were horses in that lived in the sea? Maybe, maybe not! With the millions of creatures that live in the sea, you never know what you could find. Let’s explore and learn about the Seahorse.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Did you know that there were horses in that lived in the sea? Maybe, maybe not! With the millions of creatures that live in the sea, you never know what you could find. Let’s explore and learn about the Seahorse.

Seahorses are small animals that live in water bodies like lakes, oceans and seas. They have a structure almost similar to normal land horses that gallop except, they do not have four legs.

Seahorses swim uprightly using dorsal and pectoral fins located behind their eyes. These fins propel them to different places. In the sea, they are easily found inside sea plants resting because they are poor swimmers.

On their heads is a long mouth piece used for sucking food and eyes that move in different directions at a time just like in the case of chameleons.

Seahorses have a thin skin stretched over a number of bones that are plate-like and arranged in rings throughout their bodies.

Seahorses eat small shrimp, tiny fish and plankton found in the water.

What is even more interesting about these creatures is that the male seahorse is the one that gives birth!

A male seahorse has a pouch in which the female drops in the eggs for fertilization. Fertilization takes place between 3 to 4 weeks before baby seahorses are born. A young sea horse is called a "fly”.

Ends