All About Seahorses!

Seahorses are fish. They are truly unique, and not just because of their unusual equine shape. Unlike most other fish, they are monogamous and mate forlife. They are the only animal species on earth in which the male bears the unborn young. Found in tropical and temperate waters, these upright-swimming can range in size from 0.6 inches (1.5centimeters) to 14 inches (35 centimeters) log. His average lifespan in the wild is 1 to 5 years (estimated).

Male seahorses are equipped with a small bag on their ventral, or front-facing, side. Whenmating, the female deposits her eggs into his small bag, and the male fertilizes them internally. He carries the eggs until they are fully formed into miniature seahorses.

Because of their bodyshape, seahorses are not good swimmers and can easily die of fatigue when caught in storm-roiled seas but they push themselves by using a small fin on their back that moves up to 35 times per second andthey also have smaller pectoral fins located near the back of the head that are used for finding direction.

Seahorses have no teeth and no stomach, but food passes through their digestive systemsso quickly, and they must eat constantly to stay alive. They anchor themselves with their tails to sea grasses and corals, but by using their big nose to suck in plankton or small crustaceans thatare around. They can consume 3,000 or more shrimps per day.

...