Page 44 - World of Animals - Issue #41

In numbers…
Five-minute

seahorse facts

Become a seahorse expert in an instant – here’s
everything you need to know about these funny fish

Seahorses are very curious little fish. Seahorses live across the world,
They don’t look much like fish in the and there are two species that can
traditional sense but, like the rest of be found in UK waters: the spiny
the bony fish in the Actinopterygii seahorse and the short-snouted
class (like tuna and cod), they seahorse. Both populations are
breathe using gills and have a swim closely monitored and protected,
bladder to control buoyancy. but unfortunately the situation
These knobbly-looking, upright is very different for seahorses
swimmers are relatives of the further afield. Of the 54 species
pipefish family, which includes of seahorses, 41 are listed on the
pipefish and seadragons. IUCN Red List. Here you can learn
Interestingly, they’re the only more about these amazing marine
animals on Earth where the males critters and then spread the word to
give birth to the babies. campaign for their survival.

Project Seahorse

ZSL’s Dr Heather Koldewey, co-founder of Project
Seahorse, speaks to us about their conservation work

Could you tell us a bit Why is it so important that seahorses
about your role? are protected?
I am head of marine and Because they are the most amazing,
freshwater at the Zoological fascinating fish would be my first answer!
Society of London, which But they also live in some of the most
involves running conservation projects vulnerable coastal habitats around the
around the world, ranging from working world – coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass
with communities in the Philippines on beds and estuaries. So if we protect
mangrove rehabilitation, to research seahorses, we can also help protect
in ocean wilderness areas such as the these important habitats and all of the
Chagos Archipelago. I am also co-founder other incredible wildlife that lives there
and field conservation manager of alongside them.
Project Seahorse, which mainly involves
working on seahorse conservation in How can readers get involved in
the Philippines, but also with our small protecting these fish?
dedicated team globally to help our For those of you who enjoy diving and
conservation work. snorkelling, we have an iSeahorse
website and app (www.iseahorse.org)
What is Project Seahorse and what are that you can use to record seahorse
the project’s aims and successes? sightings anywhere in the world, or set up
Project Seahorse is a marine more regular monitoring programmes.
conservation group dedicated to securing If you keep aquarium fish at home,
a world where marine ecosystems please don’t keep seahorses unless you
are healthy and well-managed. We are an expert – otherwise leave it to
begin with cutting-edge research and specialists like the team at ZSL London
turn our findings into highly effective Zoo Aquarium.
conservation action, in collaboration with Many seahorses are caught every year
governments, local communities, and accidentally in shrimp trawls, so actually
other stakeholders. As the IUCN global one of the simplest ways that you can
authority on seahorses and their relatives, help seahorses is by ensuring that any
we work to protect seahorses, and shrimp you eat has clear sustainability
through seahorses, we support marine certification, and that it is not harmful to
conservation more broadly. marine wildlife.

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