| Main Sections: Physiology |
Physiology Sea horses have heads that resemble that of a horse's head. That's how they got their name-sea horse. Sea horses have long, flexible tails that are capable of grasping a hold of objects such as sea weed, plants, and coral. Their bodies are either fully are partly covered with bony plates, that act as body armor. The body armor is arranged in rings throughout the body and tail. The body has exactly 11 rings and the tail has 34 to 35 rings. On the body plates are sharp points that have the ability to numb whatever it pricks. Sea horses have one dorsal fin on their back which they use to propel themselves forward. The dorsal fin can flap up to 35 times a second. A sea horse has two pectoral fins behind it's head on either side. Sea horses range in size from 1 1/2 inches all the way up to 12 inches. Sea horses are normally dark brown in color with white spots or patches. The sea horse has no teeth and its mouth is a tubular bony snout. They use this mouth like a straw to up their prey. The sea horse has the ability to move each eye back and forth as it searches for prey and predators. Habitat Sea horses are found in tropical to temperate waters. They can be found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at depths of 25 to 150 feet below sea level. Sea horses prefer to live in areas where seaweed is present. Sea horses will often form groups by holding onto each others tails. This behavior is primarily done when it is juvenile. Diet Sea horses mainly eat crustaceans. A sea horse will stalk it's prey slowly. It stares at the crustacean until it almost looks disinterested. Then it slowly moves closer while still looking disinterested. When it gets close enough, it attacks the prey with speed and sucks it in through it's mouth. Predators Sea horses are preyed on by other, larger fish, such as sea-perch, cod, and trumpeter fish. They are also preyed on by skates, rays, and sharks. Sea horses try to evade these natural predators by using their speed and camouflage. But sea horses have trouble evading man. Humans catch sea horse for home aquariums and to use in jewelry. Reproduction Sea horse reproduction occurs from May to August. Females will lay 250 to 600 eggs inside the males brood sack, which is much like a kangaroo's pouch. After laying the eggs, the female leaves the male as the sole caretaker of the eggs. Immediately after the last egg is laid, the sack is tightly sealed. The female may lay her eggs in more than one male before she runs out of eggs. The eggs inside the sack attach themselves to the male with umbilical cords. He goes through everything a regular female goes through when they are pregnant. After a gestation period of 40 to 50 days, the eggs hatch. The male may be in a state of labor for hours until the young are ready to emerge from the pouch. The babies emerge looking like miniature sea horses and make their way to the surface of the ocean. On the surface of the ocean, they latch onto anything they can find, whether it be a piece of floating sea weed or each other, and they begin to eat. Most males and females die after mating but a few do live to mate again.
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