Seahorses are fascinating, colorful, upright swimming fish with heads that resemble horse’s heads. They are the genus of fish Hippocampus, belonging to the family Syngnathidae, which also includes pipefish and leafy sea dragons. There are 35 known species of seahorses, inhabiting tropical and
subtropical coastal and reef waters throughout the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Found in
shallow waters, seahorses can range in size from two-thirds of an inch (1.5 centimeters) to 14 inches
(35 centimeters) long.
Seahorses are fascinating, colorful, upright swimming fish with heads that resemble horse’s heads. They are the genus of fish Hippocampus, belonging to the family Syngnathidae, which also includes pipefish and leafy sea dragons. There are 35 known species of seahorses, inhabiting tropical and
subtropical coastal and reef waters throughout the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Found in
shallow waters, seahorses can range in size from two-thirds of an inch (1.5 centimeters) to 14 inches
(35 centimeters) long. A seahorse has highly mobile eyes to watch for predators and prey while
keeping its body motionless. Seahorses anchor themselves with their prehensile tails to sea grasses
and corals and use the powerful suction of their elongated snouts to suck in plankton and small
crustaceans that drift by. Seahorses have no teeth and swallow their prey whole. The seahorse has a dorsal fin located on its lower back and pectoral fins located on its head near its gills. Its fins are small to enable to move through thick water vegetation. Because of their body shape, seahorses are poor swimmers. The seahorse propels itself with its small dorsal fin that it flutters up to 35 times per
second. Its even smaller pectoral fins are used for steering.
