Size
There are about 35 different kinds of seahorse as far as we know. They range in size from less than a centimetre in length to about 30 centimetres. Physical description Seahorses are not covered in scales like other fish. Instead they have bony plates that may help protect their bodies. And seahorses do not have ribs, the bony plates do the job. Seahorses change colors to match their surroundings. They do this by expanding or contracting the pigment cells in their skin. You can from white to black, greens, bright oranges and reds different colors. The tail is prehensile, which means it can wrap around seaweed to anchor the seahorse, where its upright body looks rather like a part of the plant. Seahorses have a dorsal fin that moves them forwards. On their sides they have pectoral fins, which help them steer.
Location in the world
The Northern seahorse can be found in the Atlantic coastline of North and South America and throughout the Gulf of Mexico ranging as far south as Uruguay and as far north as Nova Scotia. Diet Seahorses feed on brine shrimp, tiny fish and plankton. A seahorse sucks in food through its long snout. Seahorses have no teeth and swallow live food whole. Predators
Seahorse predators are crabs, rays and tuna.
Young
The male seahorse has a pouch on his belly. During mating, the female lays as many as 2,000 eggs into his pouch. The eggs, and supporting veins grow around the eggs to give nutrition to the developing babies. About 2-6 weeks later, tiny seahorses hatch and come out of the pouch. The male squeezes his body to push groups of hatched seahorses out of the pouch. This can take two days, and leaves him exhausted. A male and female seahorse may stay together for life.
Niche or role in their ecosystem
Live seahorses can collected for the aquarium trade, and demand is high for dried specimens used in traditional medicine and curios. The world w of these fishes is estimated at 20 million seahorses per year, involving at least 50 nations and territories. Brazil is one of the leading exporters of ornamental fishes used in the aquarium trade. Over a five year period, an excess of 12,000 H. erectus were traded through one Brazilian market alone. Florida is considered the primary source for live seahorses in the United States. During the 1990s, seahorses ranked as the seventh most economically important fish group, with landings increased ; whereas, landings of all other valuable groups declined. The commercial demand for seahorses in many countries is met by the incidental bycatch of individuals in shrimp trawls. Because of the average size of these nets, fishes measuring 10-20 cm are most commonly collected using this method.
Other names
Lined seahorse Hippocampus eretcus
The Five Question:
1. How long does it take for the baby to come out if the seahorse is pregnant?
2. Can it get bigger then it's normal size?
3. Is it called the Northern seahorse for a reason?
4. How fast can the Northern seahorse swim?
5. Where does it go for mating season?
Lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus
Size
There are about 35 different kinds of seahorse as far as we know. They range in size from less than a centimetre in length to about 30 centimetres.
Physical description
Seahorses are not covered in scales like other fish. Instead they have bony plates that may help protect their bodies. And seahorses do not have ribs, the bony plates do the job. Seahorses change colors to match their surroundings. They do this by expanding or contracting the pigment cells in their skin. You can from white to black, greens, bright oranges and reds different colors. The tail is prehensile, which means it can wrap around seaweed to anchor the seahorse, where its upright body looks rather like a part of the plant. Seahorses have a dorsal fin that moves them forwards. On their sides they have pectoral fins, which help them steer.
Location in the world
The Northern seahorse can be found in the Atlantic coastline of North and South America and throughout the Gulf of Mexico ranging as far south as Uruguay and as far north as Nova Scotia.
Diet
Seahorses feed on brine shrimp, tiny fish and plankton. A seahorse sucks in food through its long snout. Seahorses have no teeth and swallow live food whole.
Predators
Seahorse predators are crabs, rays and tuna.
Young
The male seahorse has a pouch on his belly. During mating, the female lays as many as 2,000 eggs into his pouch. The eggs, and supporting veins grow around the eggs to give nutrition to the developing babies. About 2-6 weeks later, tiny seahorses hatch and come out of the pouch. The male squeezes his body to push groups of hatched seahorses out of the pouch. This can take two days, and leaves him exhausted. A male and female seahorse may stay together for life.
Niche or role in their ecosystem
Live seahorses can collected for the aquarium trade, and demand is high for dried specimens used in traditional medicine and curios. The world w of these fishes is estimated at 20 million seahorses per year, involving at least 50 nations and territories. Brazil is one of the leading exporters of ornamental fishes used in the aquarium trade. Over a five year period, an excess of 12,000 H. erectus were traded through one Brazilian market alone. Florida is considered the primary source for live seahorses in the United States. During the 1990s, seahorses ranked as the seventh most economically important fish group, with landings increased ; whereas, landings of all other valuable groups declined. The commercial demand for seahorses in many countries is met by the incidental bycatch of individuals in shrimp trawls. Because of the average size of these nets, fishes measuring 10-20 cm are most commonly collected using this method.
Other names
Lined seahorse Hippocampus eretcus
The Five Question:
1. How long does it take for the baby to come out if the seahorse is pregnant?
2. Can it get bigger then it's normal size?
3. Is it called the Northern seahorse for a reason?
4. How fast can the Northern seahorse swim?
5. Where does it go for mating season?
This is a baby (http://craquariums.com/seahorse.eructusjpg.jpg)
It's a pregnant Nothern seahorse (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/)
How you can tell it's a Nothern seahorse (http://www.allthesea.com/img/sea-horses-03.gif)