Page 218 - Atlas Of The World's Strangest Animals

218 ATLAS OF THE WORLD’S STRANGEST ANIMALS

Seahorse

Seahorses get their common name from their resemblance to miniature horses,

but that’s where the similarity to any land animal ends.These graceful creatures
are one of the ocean’s most distinctive and easily recognized species of bony
fish – and one of the oddest.

ORDER Gasterosteiformes / FAMILY
Key Facts Sygnathidae / GENUS & SPECIES
genus Hippocampus

Weight Up to 226g (8oz), depending on species

Length 4–35 cm (1.6–13.8 in), depending on
species
Sexual maturity Varies with species and conditions
Spawning season Varies with species and conditions
Snout
Number of young 5–1,500, depending on species
A long snout is used to probe
Gestation period 2–5 weeks
into cracks and crevices and
Breeding interval Several times a year is possible hoover up any food that’s
found there.
Typical diet Plankton, shrimp and small fish
Lifespan Up to 4 years in the wild

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.