The pygmy seahorse’s size is anywhere from less than a centimeter to about 30 centimeters. Seahorses can change their body color by contracting the pigment cells in their skin. They can appear in many colors such as green, red, and even orange. Seahorses have a dorsal fin; a dorsal fin helps them move forward, they also have pectoral fins on the side of their body; pectoral fins help the seahorse to steer. A characteristic for a seahorse is that it can change the color of its skin so it can hide from predators.

 

The seahorse lives in warmer parts of the ocean. Commonly found around the coastlines, they are also found in reef waters such as the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. They do well in that part of the ocean because they need coral for food and they need something for their tail to grab on to. They make a living by holding on to the coral and looking around for pray or predators.

 

The seahorse is become extinct because of over fishing. Now it is rare to see a seahorse in the ocean. People are killing seahorses by polluting our oceans and using them for other stuff like, medicine, cooking, and souvenirs. The seahorse’s role in the food web is that it eats other fish, and then gets eaten by other fish. It feeds on brine shrimp, tiny fish, and plankton.

 

The seahorse eats their prey live and whole because they have no teeth to grind the food. Seahorses compete for food with fish, grey whales, and even birds. A seahorse feeds on brine shrimp, tiny fish, and plankton. The seahorse eats their pray live and whole because they have no teeth to grind the food. Its predators are crab, ray, and tuna. If they get tossed around in a stormy sea, the seahorse can die from exhaustion if it can’t grab anything with it tail. People also threaten it by polluting waters, using it for medicine, cooking, or for souvenirs.

 

It evades getting eaten by blending in with the color of seaweed or coral, because it has the ability to change color. What stood out to me when I was researching my animal was that the male seahorse gives birth. I also found out that the seahorse turns around 360 degrees to look around for predators. I learned that seahorses use their tail to grab on to stuff. If it isn’t grabbing on to something they can die from exhaustion. Seahorses are also used for medicine.

 

Author: Grant K.

Published: 02/2009

 

Sources: http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/seahorse.htm http://www.seahorse.com/ Animal. Editor-in-chief David Burniet and Don E. Wilson. Made in 2001 London and New York