The common seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) is part of the Syngnathidae family, which it shares with the rest of the seahorses, the fish needle and sea dragons. Like all these animals, the common hippocampus is a fish that has a shape and reproductive behavior unique in the animal kingdom.
Seahorse Characteristics
The species Hippocampus hippocampus can measure 15 centimetersIn English, it is known as short-snouted seahorse (short-snouted seahorse). This is because the length of its snout is smaller than in many other fish in the genus Hippocampus. Additionally, it can be distinguished by its rounded body and crest-shaped crown.
Like all members of the Syngnatidae family, the common seahorse has its body covered by a armor of bony rings On them, very few spines appear, from which filaments of skin may or may not come out. Due to this and its similar distribution, it can be confused with the Mediterranean seahorse (H. guttulatus). This bony armor that covers the common seahorse is because it is a very poor swimmer. In this way, they can protect themselves from their predators.
In terms of color, it can be brown, orange, black or purple and sometimes has white dots. Like the rest of syngnathids, modifies its color to camouflage itself in the environment in which it finds itself. In this way, it hides from its predators and surprises its prey.
Seahorse Habitat
The common seahorse is distributed throughout the northeast Atlantic Ocean and throughout the Mediterranean Sea. There, it lives near the coasts, without reaching a depth of more than 60 metres.
Specifically, the habitat of the seahorse is the seagrasses or algae beds of low complexity, more or less open and with oceanic influences. However, they can also be found in estuaries and areas with muddy or rocky waters. Within these places, they are sedentary animals and have a very restricted range of movement.
Seahorse feeding
Despite its appearance, the seahorse is a voracious predator Its hunting strategy is based on remaining motionless and camouflaged among plants or on the ground. Thanks to their eyes, which move in all directions and independently, they remain attentive to everything that moves around them. Thus, when prey approaches, it sucks it up with its tubular snout and swallows it alive.
The diet of the common seahorse is based on small crustaceans, mainly amphipods, shrimp and decapod larvae. However, they can also capture other invertebrates and the larvae of some fish. The only requirement is that its prey fit in its mouth.
Playing the seahorse
The reproduction of the common seahorse and of the entire Sygnathidae family is unique in the animal kingdom. It starts in April and ends in October. During this time, the female introduces her eggs into the incubation pouch on the male's abdomen This pouch acts like a uterus, that is, it provides nutrients and oxygen to the eggs while removing waste. It is there that fertilization takes place and where the development of the eggs takes place, which lasts about three and a half weeks.
Common seahorse hatchlings hatch when they reach about 9 millimeters, although this depends a lot on the conditions of gestation. At that moment, the father expels them to the middle and the little ponies become independent. They will then roam the ocean as part of the plankton until they are large enough to settle in a home. Seahorses are therefore ovoviviparous animals.
Curiosities
The common or short-snouted seahorse is an animal that arouses much sympathy, but also many questions. Therefore, we have put together some frequently asked questions that we all tend to ask ourselves. These are some curiosities of the seahorse:
- How long does a seahorse live? Seahorses live between one and five years, with the largest species being the longer.
- How do seahorses swim? Seahorses are very poor swimmers as they move very slowly and in position vertical. To do this, they propel themselves with their dorsal fin and change direction with their pectoral fins.
- Does the seahorse have spines? Yes, the common seahorse and its relatives are actinopterygian fishes and therefore they have an internal bony skeleton that we know as spines.
- Does the seahorse have fins? Yes, all seahorses have fins: one dorsal and one anal, which they use to propel themselves, as well as two pectoral fins that they use to change direction. However, they lack the caudal fin that appears on the tail of other fish.
- What does the scientific name of the seahorse mean? The term Hippocampus comes from classical Greek. “Hippo” means horse and alludes to the shape of its head, while “kampos” means sea monster.
- What are baby seahorses like? Baby seahorses are born without bony structures. Its internal skeleton is made of cartilage and it takes a month to transform into bone. They also have no bony rings, no crown, no spines, but they only take about 10 days to appear.
- What are the predators of the seahorse? The main predators of the seahorse are some large carnivores of the ocean, such as the tuna, sea bass, rays and even some sharks.
- Are seahorses monogamous? Most seahorses are polygamous. However, some species are seasonal monogamous, that is, they do not stay together throughout their lives, but only during the reproductive season. To strengthen their bond, they walk and “dance” together daily.
- Is the common seahorse endangered? Currently, the IUCN considers that there is insufficient data on the populations of the common seahorse to be considered endangered. However, it is protected in some countries, such as Portugal.
