If you don't live near warm ocean or a water park you may not have seen seahorses or sea dragons to understand how amazing these tiny creatures are. Their long, elongated heads, like those of a horse, give them an almost mythical image. In reality, they are not immortal, and besides, many die during the storm. Sea “horses” hide with the help of excellent camouflage; long spines and ribbon-like outgrowths make them invisible in their natural underwater environment.

Seahorses range in size from 2 to 20 centimeters. Seahorses, like leafy sea dragons and pipefish, bear their young in special pouches where the female spawns. The burden of maternal care falls on. With such entertaining and interesting facts, as well as amazing photos of seahorses we invite you to familiarize yourself.

Seahorses (Hippocampus) - gentle and beautiful creatures get their names from the ancient Greek "hippo", which means "horse" and "campos" - " sea ​​monsters" The genus Hippocampus includes 54 species of marine fish.
The spotted seahorse in the photo is 15 centimeters long and lives up to four years.

A spectacular rainbow seahorse in Hamburg, Germany.

Leafy sea dragons at Georgia Aquarium. Sea “monsters” live off the southern coast of Australia and are masters of camouflage. Seemingly harmless, the sea dragon is a real predator - it feeds on small fish and shrimp.

The weedy sea dragon is endangered. With their small tubular snouts, relatives of seahorses suck up tiny prey, sometimes including various debris.

Leafy sea dragons at Birch Aquarium, San Diego, California. They can grow up to 35 cm in length. When the males are ready to mate, their leafy tails turn bright yellow.

Black Sea seahorse rare sight in shallow waters, Romania.

Leafy sea dragon in an aquarium, Atlanta. In nature, they live in the tropical coastal waters of South and Western Australia.

Spiny seahorse(Hippocampus histrix) gets its name from the spines protruding from it. Usually lives in - from 3 to 80 meters. One of the largest species of seahorses and can grow up to 17 cm.

Seahorse at the Oregon Aquarium. Sea Horses are not good swimmers. The other is the only species of fish where the males carry unborn offspring.

Weed sea dragon near seaweed, Sydney, Australia. Brown algae and reefs provide them with good camouflage and protection from predators.

At first glance, seahorses appear to be pregnant, but they are not. Bellied seahorses(Hippocampus abdominalis) is a separate species and one of the largest, can reach a length of 35 cm.

The spiny seahorse, like most of its fellows, is in danger of extinction. Human appetite for exotic fish is growing, which is why pipits have been added to the list of protected fish under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Leafy sea dragons, like their relatives, weed dragons, are very caring fathers. They bear their offspring on themselves. The fry that are born immediately become independent.

Pipefish another distant relative of seahorses. This creature has a longer, straighter body with tiny mouths.

Another of the seahorse relatives at the Wilhelm Zoo, Germany.

Macro photographs of gray and yellow seahorses at Zurich Zoo. When eating or interacting with other relatives, these fish make a “clicking” sound.

Seem like there is love between them...

Leafy sea dragons dance at the Dallas Aquarium. The only working fins are on the chest and back, so sea dragons are not very fast - 150 meters per hour. Individuals were observed that spent up to 68 hours in one place.

A pygmy seahorse provides excellent camouflage against soft corals near Cebu, Philippines. Pygmies reach maximum length 2.4 cm. Residential zone from southern Japan to Northern Australia in reef areas at a depth of 10-40 meters.

Pipefish - Solenostomus paradoxus - off the coast of Thailand. Close relatives of seahorses are various colors and sizes, from 2.5 to 50 cm.

Excellent camouflage.

Weedy sea dragons close up. Left: Shelly Beach weed dragon, Australia, right: eggs on male dragons.

Morning mating dances of seahorses.

The skinny body of the weed dragon “flies” through the water. Body sea ​​dragon and its color develops based on the environment, food.

The skinny and toothless pipefish has a snake-like body.

Seahorses are voracious. The absence of a stomach and teeth forces them to constantly feed. In this regard, they consume up to 50 shrimp per day.

Before mating, the courtship ritual of seahorses lasts several days. Few couples stay together for life; most stay together only during the mating season.

Nature miracle.

Perfection of nature.

Close-up

Friendly family.

Schultz's pipefish - Corythoichthys schultzi - in Egypt.

Different types of seahorses and dragons.

Seahorses are the slowest sea fish.

Only 1% of fry grow to adulthood.

Seahorses are masters of camouflage.

The pygmy pipit is one of the smallest vertebrates in the world against a backdrop of soft corals.

Stunning shot: a kiss between lovers.

The beauty of a leafy sea dragon.

The pipefish family includes: seahorses, pipefish, leafy and weedy sea dragons.

Spiny seahorse.

Proud loneliness seahorse.

Close-up.

Curiosity.

Not crucian carp, not perch,
Has a long neck
Who is he? Guess it quickly!
Well, of course, it’s a hobby!

Seahorse (from Latin Hippocampus) small, cute sea ​​fish unusual shape from the genus of bony fishes (family of needlefishes) of the order Acquiliformes. Looking at this fish, one immediately remembers the chess piece of a knight. Long neck – distinctive feature skate. If you disassemble the skate into body parts, then its head resembles that of a horse, its tail resembles that of a monkey, its eyes resemble those of a chameleon, and its outer coverings resemble those of insects. The unusual structure of the tail allows the skate to cling to seaweed and corals and hide in them, sensing danger. The ability to mimic (camouflage) makes the seahorse practically invulnerable. The seahorse feeds on plankton. Young skates are quite voracious and can eat for 10 hours in a row, eating up to three thousand crustaceans and shrimp. The vertical position of the seahorse relative to the water is its distinctive feature.

It is interesting that the seahorse is a caring father and faithful husband. The difficult burden of motherhood falls on the shoulders of the male. The seahorse independently carries the baby in a special bag, which is located in the lower part of the seahorse's abdomen. Exactly there on time mating games the female injects the eggs. If the female dies, the male for a long time remains faithful to its partner and vice versa, if the male dies, the female remains faithful to the male for up to 4 weeks.

Dimensions

The size of a seahorse varies from two to three centimeters to 30. Thirty centimeters is the size giant representative seahorse. The average size is 10 or 12 centimeters. The smallest representatives, dwarf seahorses, are about 13 or even 3 millimeters. With a size of 13 centimeters, the mass of a seahorse is about 10 grams.

A few more photos of seahorses.

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01/11/2017 at 21:34 Moscow time 5 631

The seahorse is a unique fish with an interesting body shape.

At first glance, it looks very similar to one of the most recognizable chess pieces.

There are more than 50 species of these creatures in the world, but only thirty-two species have been studied in detail.

In addition, anthropologists have made sensational conclusions based on the prehistoric fossil remains found; they say that in the past it was specifically a modified needle fish.

An interesting ability of these sea ​​creatures thing is the male becomes the breeder of offspring. We will consider the process itself in detail a little later.

Appearance

The appearance and body structure of this species of fish are able to adapt to any environment a habitat. Once in an area that strongly reveals its appearance, it immediately changes the appearance of its color in a few minutes, like a chameleon, and merges with the underwater environment.

His body is endowed with many spines of different sizes, the ribbon-like leathery outgrowths that are on his body are also capable of hiding him in sea ​​depths from the eyes of predators and potential victims.

There are at least two popular types of these wonderful creatures. The dwarf pipit has a body length not exceeding 2.5 cm. It lives in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Malayan species of pipits is quite larger than its aforementioned counterpart, the length of its body can reach up to 25 centimeters.

The low mobility of this fish is ensured by its eyes, which have a remarkable ability. The eyeballs are able to move independently of each other, thereby increasing the horizons.

Range and habitat

This species is common in places with a subtropical climate from the coast of Indonesia to Australia. It also lives along the Atlantic coasts of Europe, North America and Africa. Little-studied species live in the waters Pacific Ocean closer to the shores of the USA.

Habitat

Overgrown shallow sea perfect place accommodation for this fish. It also actively inhabits swampy or sandy water surroundings.

Lifestyle

This fish leads a predominantly solitary and sedentary lifestyle, so as not to drift during high and low tides; it clings to algae or corals with its flexible and powerful tail.

It is worth noting that most of their lives they are in shallow water, on a slight current with a water temperature of at least +25. The current carries a huge amount of plankton necessary for nutrition. Movement in the water is carried out using the spinal fin, which carries out more than 30 strokes in one second.

Nutrition

His diet is very meager; the daily menu includes:

• plankton;
• small fish
• crustaceans;
• shrimps;

He himself becomes a victim of enemies very rarely, since he is a master of disguise. Thanks to this, the victim, without noticing the danger, approaches him, having a tubular snout, the horse is able to suck it in at a distance of three centimeters.

Enemies

Due to its anatomical structure of the skeleton, not every enemy is able to digest its numerous small but very strong bones.

The land crab is the single most dangerous and ruthless enemy for this type of fish.

Reproduction

The reverse distribution of roles between male and female makes this species even more mysterious. The breeding season in tropical warm waters can occur all year round, in the cold - in spring and summer.

During mating season the male makes sounds reminiscent of snapping fingers so that her gaze falls on him. After a while, the female reciprocates and approaches him. Taking this opportunity, we would like to invite you to listen to our huge collection sounds from category: .

In special pocket, located under the male’s tail, the female throws in a huge amount of fertilized eggs, providing him with further care for the future offspring, and she disappears away to mate with other males.

The development time of eggs may vary depending on the water temperature. IN warm water it is no more than 14 days, and in cold weather 28 days. To feed the fry, the male secretes a special liquid into his sac.

When the offspring are mature, the male releases the fry, which can already swim, into the wild. Their number depends on the species, the minimum can be 50, the maximum more than 1000 individuals.

Many people wonder: why is the seahorse upright? We decided to look into it and answer this interesting question. .

The reason is this; The stabilizing swim bladder of this fish is located along the entire body and is divided by a septum separating top part bodies from the rest.

As a result, the head bladder turns out to be larger than the abdominal one; it is this arrangement of the bladder that provides the fish with a vertical position.

Red Book

Irreparable harm to the taxon is caused by fishing trawls, which destroy the seabed along with the environment natural habitat marine organism.

Currently, all types of skates are included in the Red Book and are strictly protected by law. There are plenty of reasons for this, such as; While you are reading this post, illegal fishing for this exotic creature is underway off the coast of Malaysia. In these countries it is a delicacy and is very popular among tourists..

Lifespan

IN wildlife this interesting view fish can exist no more than 7 years.

Related species

Today, our hero’s closest relative is the stickleback fish.

1. Some species of marine organisms are threatened with complete extinction.
2. Swims while in an upright position.
3. Souvenirs depicting this fish are actively purchased by tourists in East Asia.
4. The liver and eyes of this fish are considered a delicacy; in fish restaurants, a serving of this dish can cost up to $1,000.
5. The male himself is responsible for breeding the offspring.

The seahorse looks more like chess piece a horse or a gargoyle from a Gothic cathedral than a fish. Unlike other fish, it swims vertically, moves its eyes freely as if, it does not have a tail in the usual sense of the word, but it has a neck unusual for underwater inhabitants... In addition, the males of these strange fish themselves bear offspring - how can you not be curious about this phenomenon?

let me introduce myself

Seahorses (Hippocampus) are small fish, the average size of which, depending on the species, is from 1.5 to 30 centimeters. They are found in tropical and subtropical seas, and inhabit warm shallow waters - thickets of algae and. Life expectancy is up to 4-5 years.

Evolutionary passport

The seahorse is a member of the needlefish family. The typical pipefish is also quite unusual and has an elongated body, a long tail without a fin and a tube-shaped snout. If this fish were placed vertically, its head bent and its tail twisted into a spiral, it would turn out sea ​​Horse. Scientists believe that this happened 25 million years ago, when skates separated into a separate genus. Most likely, this was a response to the emergence of large areas of shallow waters, which were caused by past tectonic events.

How does a seahorse swim?

The fish's swim bladder is located along the entire body and is divided by a partition that separates the head part from the rest of the body. In this case, the head bladder is larger than the abdominal one, which provides the skate with a vertical position when swimming. The skate also moves in the water column mainly vertically: by changing the volume of gas inside the swimming body, it sinks or rises.

The seahorse uses its long, flexible tail, devoid of fins, as an anchor: it uses it to hold on to the protrusions of coral or algae, and can also hug a friend with it, but it is completely unsuited for rowing. This role is partly taken on by the movable dorsal fin, as well as the paired pectoral fins, which, despite the name, are located on the sides of the body.

This carelessness of the seahorse is caused by its reluctance to compete with someone in speed or swim against the current, because it avoids strong underwater currents and prefers familiar terrain to everything else. So the seahorse spends most of its time with its tail hooked on coral or algae and carefully examining everything around it.

What's on the menu?

The skates don’t really need to hunt: you sit in one place, and slowly floats past and asks for lunch. The tube-shaped mouth of the skate, which is so different from the flapping mouth of a fish, works like a pipette: by moving the gill covers, the fish creates a thrust capable of sucking in an unwary crustacean from a distance of up to 4 centimeters. In the oral cavity, the caught prey is filtered and sent into the pharynx, and the water drawn in with it is discharged through the gills. In general, their skate can be called a voracious predator: it is capable of feeding for 10 hours a day, eating up to 3,600 crustaceans and shrimp.

Chameleon of the underwater kingdom

The horse does not know how to escape and is not poisonous, but it has a whole arsenal of tricks hidden. To begin with, the skin of fish contains chromatophore cells, thanks to which they are so diversely colored and can change their color depending on the background. It is not easy to see the almost motionless fish of a bizarre shape: either it is hiding in the thickets, or it is slowly drifting under the very nose of a predator, like a fragment of algae.

Its unusual eyes help the seahorse monitor its surroundings: they do not seem at all “fish-like”, since they can move independently of each other. So one eye can keep an eye on potential prey, while the other can keep an eye on avoiding becoming prey yourself.But, on the other hand, there are not so many people in the sea who want to feast on a seahorse.

Bone plates and spines protruding from under the skin of a small fish make it not very tasty (and that’s not counting internal skeleton). Under this pile of thorns there is quite a bit of edible food - after all, the skate does not need either developed muscles (it hardly swims) or a reserve of fat (food is always available in abundance). Nevertheless, there are gourmets who like to eat skates - stingrays, large crabs and some other predators.

Love is a carrot

The only thing that can make a seahorse show agility and even dancing abilities is mating games. Male seahorses look little different from females - except that they are slightly larger, and on the abdomen there is a special organ - a brood chamber, somewhat similar to a kangaroo's pouch. During the breeding season, the walls of this pocket swell, it becomes clearly visible and attracts the attention of females.

Having come close, the fish intertwine their tails and leisurely stroll up and down the sea “lawns”. During the courtship process, the male can even change his color to match the color of his girlfriend’s body. Then the couple begins to click, throwing up their heads and touching the spines on their bodies with their bone crowns. Finally, the female lays her eggs in the male's pocket, where they are immediately fertilized. Some types of skates put an end to their relationship at this point, others stay together all their lives...

Sea "foals"

A “pregnant” extreme father takes care of the offspring from two weeks to two months. The vascular-rich tissue of the brood chamber actually performs the function of a placenta, supplying the eggs with oxygen and nutrients. In total, the “fish daddy” can carry more than a thousand babies in his pocket.The fry are born with a characteristic body shape and are ready for independent life, but they are still able to straighten up, clearly demonstrating their direct relationship with the ordinary pipefish. The male continues to look after the offspring after birth: in case of danger, at his signal, the fry hide in the brood pouch.

What threatens the seahorse?

IN Lately exotic fish are intensively fished, and almost all species of skates known today are listed in the International Red Book with the statuses “vulnerable” and “endangered”. They are used in folk medicine Asia, sold to lovers of unusual aquarium animals or served as a delicacy for $800 per serving. In addition, their populations are affected by sea pollution and the destruction of coral reefs due to global warming.

The unusual appearance of the seahorse makes it a popular inhabitant of aquariums. Its bizarre vertical shape and unusual mode of movement attract attention. But before you get such a pet, you should know the rules of care, the peculiarities of its behavior and coexistence with other inhabitants.

Habitat

Seahorses live in warm tropical and subtropical waters. Found off the coast of England. Some species live in the Black and Azov Seas.

They prefer salty and clean water, quiet calm creeks. It is sea waves and pitching that pose a great danger to such fish.

Description

it is a bony fish from the pipefish family. Possesses vertical structure body, from 2 to 30 cm in height. Their body is covered with a hard bone shell. Females have a solid shell, while males have only the upper shell, the lower part is not protected.

His head does not turn and is rigidly connected to the body, but his eyes can rotate 360°, and separately from each other, like a chameleon. And like chameleons, they are able to change body color, adapting to the environment.

This helps them hide from predators or hunt for plankton. They spend their entire lives almost motionless, with their tail caught in algae or coral.

Did you know? The seahorse has virtually no natural enemies. Their body is so tough that no one has the strength to chew through the fish. They are hunted only by large land crabs that are able to digest it.

These fish have the simplest structure digestive system, they have no stomach and teeth, so they always eat. They lie in wait for their prey and suck in water along with plankton.

Before you start introducing fish into the aquarium, you need to prepare a habitat for them:

• Preparing the aquarium. It is best to prepare a new one, with a wall height of 50-60 cm and a volume of 60-70 liters per individual.

• Aquarium decor. The material used is quartz sand or special soil for reef aquariums. Both live and artificial brown ones are planted in it. Decorative stones, driftwood, and artificial stands are placed. All this will allow the animals to cling to their tails and hunt. It is worth providing quiet places and grottoes where skates can rest.
• Water preparation. The water must be clean, filtered, and salted. The water temperature all year round should be 23-24°C. Therefore, in summer it is worth taking care of cooling, and in winter - about heating the aquarium.
• Lighting. Skates cannot tolerate bright light. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate this issue if you plan to combine ordinary reef fish, corals and skates.

• Filtration. The water in the aquarium should be clean and not very fast current, 10 revolutions of the entire volume of water per hour is enough. A good set for such an aquarium would be a skimmer and a pump. The skimmer will filter the water, collect sewage and feces, saturate the water with oxygen, and the pump will create a flow of optimal speed.

Important! The aquarium should not contain any potentially dangerous objects for skates that could injure or harm them. Including stinging corals and anemones.

The aquarium is now ready to move in.

Skates are monogamous; the loss of a partner often ends in death for them, so they should be purchased and housed in pairs.

Feeding

The feeding process for skates is different from feeding other fish.

Fish bred in captivity will happily accept frozen Mysis, while sea-caught pipits will refuse them and will only eat live food. Since obtaining live food involves some hassle, it is worth accustoming your skates to thawed and dry food.

The skate can eat dry fish food, ground to the desired state. Over time, a colony of living and mysids can form in the aquarium, which the pipits will happily hunt.

Also, you should not feed your fish exclusively with brine shrimp - they lack important substances and also have low nutritional value.

The food should always be fresh and fed daily. One individual eats 6-7 shrimp at one meal. They are fed three to four times a day.

There are two feeding methods:

1. From hand. Feed is given using hands or a rubber syringe. The method is slow, it will take 15-20 minutes to slowly feed one portion, but it is suitable as fun.

2. Feeders. Shells, stones with grooves, glass saucers and containers are suitable as feeders. Food is placed in these feeders, the fish swim up and eat at a time convenient for them.

The fish need to be fed first - using a syringe, lower the shrimp several times into the feeder and the skates will figure out where and when to swim for food.

Place several sticks near the feeder - the skates will cling to them with their tails while eating.

Compatibility with other inhabitants

Due to its leisurely behavior, the seahorse will not be able to get along with every aquarium inhabitant. They are slow, prone to stress, and have difficulty accepting change.

It is often even recommended to keep a separate aquarium just for skates. There is quite a lot of truth in this advice, but with proper planning, it is quite possible to organize a well-functioning system from different types of fish, corals, and shellfish.

Skates coexist well with:

• fish- blenny Synchiropus, scorpion fish, some cardinal fish and royal Gramm, small species of gobies. The main factor to determine a good neighbor is its low activity. Highly active fish will irritate the skates, suppress them, and take away food.

Important! First, you need to plant the skates in an empty aquarium, and only after a few days, in small batches of selected neighbors.

Dangerous neighbors:

• fish- any large, active fish will irritate the skates and take away their food;
• invertebrates- large crayfish, can attack skates and inflict wounds on them with their claws, sea anemones can sting with stinging cells;
• corals- almost all corals are bad neighbors, many species have stinging cells, others require intense lighting. There are several types of corals that can be added, but if you are not completely sure that this is exactly the right coral, then it is better not to risk it and replace the living one with an artificial one.

Breeding

Breeding fish at home is an interesting activity, but it may not always work out. Need to create ideal conditions for each individual species.

Skates form pairs for a long time; it is not uncommon for one pair to cling to each other all their lives. This is due to the peculiarities of their reproduction - males and females must achieve synchrony in their readiness to “become parents.”

In these fish, reproduction occurs differently than in other animals. The key difference is that the male carries the fry. It has a special pouch in its abdomen where the female lays her eggs. Therefore, it is not the male who seeks attention, but the female.

The beginning of the mating season of fish is determined by the lunar cycle and the beginning of low tide. It is then, with a strong current, that the fry are carried out to sea. Courtship begins with a mating dance that begins at dawn.

The female begins it, moving vertically in the water column, and the male begins to repeat after her. Gradually the dance becomes more complex, the animals begin to make clicking noises. Synchrony is important in this dance; this is the secret to successful pairing of skates.

The female releases an ovipositor and the male opens a pouch where the female lays eggs. In the pouch, the eggs are fertilized and the male carries them. The number of eggs depends on the type of animal and ranges from 60 to 1500.

Did you know? During mating games, skates not only dance, but also exchange« kisses» - by touch« lips».

Pregnancy lasts 50-60 days, after which the male pushes the fry out of the bag. This is where caring for the offspring ends, and the kids begin independent life. Childbirth is quite difficult, it can last several days, and the risk of death of the male is high.

The survival rate of fry is quite small; out of a hundred born, 4-5 remain alive.

Diseases

Little is known about the diseases of these fish. They are affected by viral diseases, some protozoans and bacterial aeromonosis.

Infection can occur both from sick animals and contaminated decor that have entered the aquarium, and spontaneously, under the influence of stress.

Sick fish are removed from the main aquarium to a quarantine aquarium. There should be no living creatures or plants in it, only plastic algae and stones in which a sick animal can hide. The light in such an aquarium should be dim, weaker than in the main one.

Antibiotics ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol are used to treat bacteria.

The following measures can be taken as prevention:

• quarantine all newly arrived pipits for several days;
• when transplanting skates, treat them with anti-stress medications;
• regularly inspect each fish, and if you notice spots, bubbles, whitening of body parts, wounds, or other abnormalities, immediately send it to quarantine;
• All decor must be cleaned and disinfected during installation.

In the absence of disease and good prevention, the average horse lives 3-4 years.

How to distinguish a female and a male

Visually distinguishing males and females is not always easy.

Their main features are:

• the female is completely covered with a bony shell, the male’s lower part is free;
• the male has a clearly visible pouch in the lower part of his body in which he carries the eggs.

The seahorse is a very curious pet. It's nice to watch him and interesting to feed him.