Dwarf seahorse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dwarf seahorse |
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The dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae) is a tiny type of seahorse. You can find it in shallow ocean areas, especially in the Bahamas and parts of the United States. Sadly, its home is shrinking because of habitat loss. This little seahorse is so slow that it holds a Guinness World Records title for being the slowest-moving fish! It moves at about 5 feet (1.5 meters) per hour.
Dwarf seahorses are often white, but they can also be tan, brown, yellow, or green. In the wild, they sometimes have tiny skin growths called cirri. These look a lot like algae and help them blend in.
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What Does a Dwarf Seahorse Look Like?
Just like other seahorses, the dwarf seahorse has a head that bends at a right angle to its body. It swims upright, using a fin on its back (called a dorsal fin) to push itself forward and two small fins on its sides (pectoral fins) to steer.
These seahorses are very small, usually growing to about 2 to 2.5 centimeters (0.8 to 1 inch) long. The biggest ones can reach up to 5 centimeters (2 inches). They can be beige, yellow, green, or black. They might also have white speckles, dark spots, or small bumps. They are very good at camouflaging themselves, meaning they can change their color to match the gorgonian corals or seagrass where they live.
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A 3D scan showing the skeleton of a dwarf seahorse.
How Dwarf Seahorses Behave
The dwarf seahorse is a "lie-in-wait" hunter. This means it waits quietly for small creatures to swim close enough, then it quickly snaps them up! These seahorses usually live alone or in pairs.
Male dwarf seahorses are special because they carry the developing baby seahorses in a special pouch on their belly. The babies stay in this pouch for about ten days. Males tend to stay in a small area, while females move around more freely.
Dwarf Seahorses in Aquariums
Because dwarf seahorses are so small (only up to 2 inches or 5 cm long) and don't eat a lot at once, people often keep them in small aquariums, usually 5 to 10 gallons (19 to 38 liters). They can be fed tiny baby brine shrimp called nauplii, but they also eat other small creatures like copepods and other baby shrimp.
It can be tricky to keep dwarf seahorses because they need food available all day long. This is because they have a very short digestive system. However, unlike many other ocean fish, they will easily have babies in an aquarium! The baby seahorse fry (young seahorses) can even live in the same tank as the adult seahorses.
The male seahorse carries the babies for about 10 to 14 days. Dwarf seahorses can live for over 2 years when cared for in an aquarium.
Why Dwarf Seahorses Are in Danger
The number of dwarf seahorses in the wild is going down. This is mainly because their homes, the seagrass beds, are being lost. Other problems include pollution, oil spills, and changes in ocean chemistry (called ocean acidification).
Images for kids
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This map shows where dwarf seahorses live.
See also
In Spanish: Hippocampus zosterae para niños
