Hippocampus mythology gills11/10/2023 Loss of habitat is one of the major threats to sea horses. They can camouflage themselves in two ways, firstly by changing colour, and secondly by growing appendages on their bodies to make themselves look very weed-like, but their main defence is keeping still. Seahorses live among sea fans, reefs, weed and especially in seagrass. Two new species were discovered in 2003.īritain has just two species, Hippocampus guttulatus - the Spiny or Maned Seahorse, and Hippocampus hippocampus – the Short-snouted Seahorse. There are about 45 species of seahorse, ranging in size from the smallest Pygmy Seahorse Hippocampus Denise - less than 2 centimetres fully grown, right up to the Big-bellied Seahorse Hippocampus Abdominalis at an impressive 35 centimetres. Seahorses are found in every ocean of the world except the Arctic, from the tropics to the cold of the North Sea. After 4-8 months of growing up, seahorses are ready to mate.Īdult Seahorses have very few enemies, it is the youngsters who take a place in the food chain being more vulnerable to predators (that is probably why so many are born). These drift around in the plankton layer for up to 5 weeks after which, if they survive (only 1 in a 1000 do) they descend to the sea floor and establish a territory. These are carried for between two to seven weeks in his pouch before he gives birth to live young which are perfect replicas of the adults. It is the male that goes through a pregnancy as he fertilises eggs which the female places in his special pouch, the lining of which provides food for the young which can number between young in a brood. The male occupies territory at the centre of a female’s 5 sq.m. As it goes through, it is only partially digested - another reason why they are so hard to keep. They do not have true stomachs, just a digestive tract through which the food passes. Their gill pouch is specially adapted to increase the power of the suck. Food is sucked through their snouts and disintegrates as it enters. To compensate for their poor swimming ability, they have developed a prehensile tail which allows them to grip the eelgrass which in Britain forms one of their preferred habitats.Įach adult Seahorse will consume between 30 and 50 mysid shrimps per day but the Seahorse fry eat up to 3000 very small crustaceans per day (this is why they are so difficult to keep alive). They are poor swimmers, often being killed in heavy storms. The earlike pectoral fins control balance and steering. Their only form of propulsion is the dorsal fin that flutters at 35-70 times per second. The scales of the seahorse have over time fused to form the locustlike exoskeleton. Seahorses are unusual in appearance with a horse-like head, neck, prehensile tail, chameleon-like eyes and insect-like body armour, but they are, nevertheless, a species of marine fish equipped with a backbone, gills (unusual grape-like), swim bladder and fins. Interestingly, in an l8th century classification, seahorses were first considered to be insects! Life-style and Locomotion However in New Zealand, where there were no horses before the arrival of the Europeans, the Maori name for seahorses is Kiore-moana or sea rats. Mythologyīased on vague drawings, the ancients thought that seahorses were the young of the full-sized horses that pulled the mighty chariot of Poseidon (or Neptune) around the seas. ![]() ![]() Their characteristic shape has even generated the name for the hippocampus at the lower centre of the human brain. ![]() Along with the Seadragons and Pipefish, seahorses belong to the family Syngnathidae and their scientific genus Hippocampus is from the Greek meaning “horse – sea monster”. They tend to be secretive creatures and will not seek out human contact, but prefer to graze on the plants on the bottom of the ocean floor.ĭid you know? Today the word hippocampus refers to the seahorse – it is a literal translation of the name.ĭid you know Take 2: The Historic Carousel & Museum in Albany OR use the hippocampus in their logo.Relatively few people will have seen the exotic seahorse in its watery environment but the stickleback, which is a far more familiar fish, shares a direct evolutionary link. They have the head and front legs of a horse and the tail and hindquarters of a fish or serpent. Various displays of statues, mosaic displays and paintings of hippocampus can be found all over the world, though this creature is not often spoken about. Poseidon (Neptune) driving a chariot of hippocamps, Roman mosaic C3rd A.D., Sousse Museum, Tunis
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