Seahorses

Seahorses are very small, odd-looking fish, the smallest being only 0.6 inches long! They also have very tiny fins, making them poor swimmers.

To keep from being pushed around by water, they use their tails to hang on to whatever is closest to them. Their tails are “prehensile” which means they are very flexible and can grab onto things.

Seahorses eat brine shrimp, but they don’t have teeth. Instead they suck their prey in using their tube-like mouth and swallow them whole. Seahorses will eat almost constantly, and can swallow 3,000 brine shrimp a day!

To protect themselves from predators, seahorses hide among plant life and coral that looks like them. It can be very hard to see a seahorse that is hidden just right.

When a female lays her eggs, she puts them in a special pouch the male has called a “brood pouch”. He takes care of the eggs in his pouch until they hatch. Seahorses are one of the only animals that do this, making them very special.

To read more about seahorses, visit this website!