Lined seahorse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lined seahorse |
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The lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus), also known as the northern seahorse or spotted seahorse, is a type of fish. It belongs to the Syngnathidae family, which includes other seahorses and pipefishes.
This seahorse is active during the day (diurnal). It usually grows to about 15 inches long and lives for one to four years. Lined seahorses come in many colors, like grey, black, red, green, and orange. You can find them in the western Atlantic Ocean, from Canada in the north all the way down to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Venezuela. They swim upright and use their dorsal (back) and pectoral (side) fins to steer.
Lined seahorses mostly eat tiny crustaceans and brine shrimp. They suck their food in using their long snout, creating a water current. Since they are not strong swimmers, they hide and wait for their prey. They are very good at blending into their surroundings. Their eyes can move separately, helping them look around for food and danger at the same time.
Male and female lined seahorses look different (this is called sexual dimorphism). Males are bigger and have longer tails. These seahorses usually stay with one partner for life (they are monogamous). Every morning, they do special dances to show their bond. They also make clicking sounds when they first find a mate. If one partner dies, the other often doesn't find a new mate in its short life.
Like all seahorses, the male lined seahorse takes care of the babies. The female lays her eggs into the male's special pouch, called a brood pouch. The eggs stay there for about 20 to 21 days. When the baby seahorses are ready, the male holds onto something with his tail. He then arches his back, releasing the tiny babies into the water. Baby seahorses are about 11 mm long when they are born. They quickly learn to act like their parents. The male and female start their courtship dance again soon after the babies are born.
The places where lined seahorses live are shrinking because of human development and pollution. This is causing their numbers to drop. People also catch lined seahorses for Chinese medicine and for pet aquariums. This is why they are listed as "vulnerable," meaning their population is at risk.
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What Lined Seahorses Look Like
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The lined seahorse was first named Hippocampus Erectus by George Perry in 1810. The name "Hippocampus" comes from ancient Greek words meaning "horse" or "sea monster."
These seahorses are active during the day. They usually grow to be 12 to 17 cm long, but some can reach 19 cm. Males and females look different. Males have a special pouch on their belly for carrying eggs. They are also a bit bigger and have longer tails that can grab onto things. In the wild, they live for one to four years. In aquariums, they often live the full four years.
Lined seahorses can be many colors, like black, grey, brown, green, orange, red, and yellow. Their color can change based on their surroundings, what they eat, how stressed they are, or their mood. They have a strong, upright body covered in about 50 bony plates. These plates form their outer skeleton, like armor.
Many lined seahorses have white lines around their neck, which is how they got their name. They might also have small white dots on their tail. Their tail is used to hold onto seaweed or coral. It usually curls forward. When they are very young (2-4 weeks old), their tail is very flexible. Their snout is about half the length of their head. The spines on their cheeks, below their eyes, can be single or double.
A lined seahorse has 11 rings on its body and 34-39 rings on its tail. They have 16-20 rays (spokes) in their dorsal fin and 14-18 rays in their pectoral fins. The pectoral fins are near their eyes, and the dorsal fin is on their back, near their stomach. Female dorsal fins are a bit larger and lower on their back. Their eyes can work together or move independently. Lined seahorses can start having babies as early as four months old, but usually around eight months. They need to be at least 5.6 cm long to reproduce.
Where Lined Seahorses Live
Lined seahorses live from Nova Scotia, Canada, down to Venezuela in South America. You can find them along the east coast of the United States, including Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina. They also live in the waters around Mexico and the Caribbean.
They are native to many places, including Nova Scotia (Canada), the United States, Bermuda, Cuba, Mexico (Veracruz, Yucatán), Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, and Venezuela. They have also been seen near the Azores islands, but it's not clear if they live there permanently.
Lined seahorses can be found in water up to 73 meters deep. Adult seahorses might swim freely or hold onto something. Young seahorses usually swim closer to the surface. Their homes include places with lots of marine plants, like floating Sargassum seaweed, seagrass, sponges, and mangroves. Depending on the season, they can be in shallow waters or deeper areas. They live near beaches, oyster beds, and areas covered in plants, as well as in bays or salt marshes. Sometimes, you can find them with their tails wrapped around crab pots. In winter, they prefer deeper, warmer waters. In warmer months, they are often in shallow waters, holding onto plants.
The water temperature where H. erectus lives changes with different locations. Temperature affects how their bodies develop, how many babies they have, and how well the young ones grow and survive. Lined seahorses experience temperature changes daily with the tides, throughout the seasons, and due to rain or runoff. Adults can move to deeper waters when it gets cold. Studies show that young seahorses grow best in captivity at 28 to 29 degrees Celsius. The amount of salt in the water (salinity) also varies. The most common salinity is 25 to 35 parts per thousand (ppt). In aquariums, they are usually kept at 35 ppt. The H. erectus is the only seahorse species that lives in the Chesapeake Bay.
What Lined Seahorses Eat
The lined seahorse uses its long snout to eat its prey. They mainly feed on tiny crustaceans, mollusks, and zooplankton (tiny animals floating in the water). Sadly, some male seahorses in captivity have been known to eat a few of their own babies after they are born.
To catch food, the seahorse changes its color to blend in with its surroundings. Once it spots prey, it quickly jerks its head up, sucking the prey into its tube-like snout. They are very accurate, especially if the prey is close to their snout. This whole process is fast and precise. A young, growing seahorse might eat for up to ten hours a day, swallowing about 3,600 baby brine shrimp.
Dangers and Illnesses
Animals that eat lined seahorses include crabs, rays, skates, seabirds, sharks, tuna, and dolphinfish. Even though their camouflage helps them hide, their poor swimming skills make it easier for bigger fish to catch them.
Lined seahorses can also get sick from various parasites and infections. These include ciliates (like Uronemamarinum), nematodes (roundworms), fungi, myxosporidians, and microsporidians (like Glugea heraldi).
Lined Seahorse Behavior
A special thing about lined seahorses (and other seahorse species) is that they are monogamous. This means a male and female seahorse choose one partner and stay with them for life. To show their strong bond, they perform special ritual dances every morning. If a seahorse loses its partner, it takes a long time before it might find a new mate.
Lined seahorses are not strong swimmers. They swim in an upright position. Their bodies are quite large compared to their fins, which is why they are not fast swimmers. They don't swim for long periods or travel far, unless they are moving to a new area. They push themselves forward by rapidly moving their dorsal (back) and pectoral (side) fins back and forth. These fins also help them steer and beat so fast (20-30 times per second) that they are almost invisible.
Besides being monogamous, lined seahorses also make sounds when they are mating. They have a crown-like bony crest called a coronet on the back of their head. Each coronet is unique, like a human fingerprint. The coronet looks like a star pattern and is a bit loose with sharp edges. When the seahorse lifts its head, the edge of its skull slides under the coronet. When it bows its head, the skull slides out, making a clicking sound. Mating seahorses swim slowly together, taking turns making clicking sounds, until they embrace. Once they hug, their clicking sounds join together, becoming louder and continuous. This helps make their bond even stronger.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Like all seahorses, lined seahorses reproduce sexually, laying eggs each season. The male seahorse is the one who takes care of the babies. The process starts with courtship, which can last a few days. During this time, both the male and female might turn a pale color. The male puffs up his pouch to show he wants to mate. Once they have formed their bond through dances and clicking sounds, they mate.
During mating, the female puts her eggs into the male's brood pouch. There, the eggs are fertilized and sealed inside. A female can lay 1,000 or more eggs. A male can carry anywhere from 97 to 1,552 eggs at once. The number of eggs depends on the female's size. One male can carry up to 650 eggs at a time. The eggs are 1.5 mm wide.
While the eggs are in the male's pouch, the developing babies (embryos) get oxygen through a network of tiny blood vessels. This system also helps keep the right balance of sodium and calcium inside the pouch. As the babies get closer to hatching, the pouch environment becomes very similar to the ocean water. The eggs stay in the pouch for 20-21 days.
When it's time for the babies to be born, the male grabs onto something with his tail. He then arches his back and pushes back and forth until the developed seahorses swim out of his pouch. He keeps doing this until all the babies have escaped. However, if any unhatched seahorses die inside the pouch, they can create gas. This can cause the male seahorse to float to the surface, making him easy prey for other marine animals.
Baby seahorses are about 11 mm long when they are born. They are considered embryos for about three days until they can swim on their own. They don't reach their full size until they are 8-10 months old. Scientists believe that only about two out of hundreds of hatched babies grow up to be adults. In aquariums, young seahorses grew about 0.55 mm per day for 100 days. Male babies develop their pouches when they are 5-7 months old. Young seahorses quickly start to look and act like adult lined seahorses. After the babies are born, the parents start their courtship again. In the Chesapeake Bay, breeding happens from May to October. In Florida, the most lined seahorses are found in July.
Lined Seahorses in Aquariums
If you want to keep lined seahorses in an aquarium, the tank should be at least 18 inches tall. A pair of seahorses needs a tank that holds 20 to 25 gallons, while two pairs need 30 to 40 gallons. The water temperature should stay between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius (72 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit). The water's pH level should be between 8.1 and 8.4, and the specific gravity (saltiness) should be between 1.020 and 1.025.
The lined seahorse is a calm species and usually won't harm other fish in an aquarium. They like environments with objects they can hide around and hold onto with their tails. H. erectus should be fed many small meals throughout the day, rather than a few large ones. In captivity, they are often fed live or frozen nauplius (baby shrimp), Mysis shrimp, grass shrimp, adult brine shrimp, gammarids, caprellid amphipods, krill fish fry, and frozen krill.
Challenges for Lined Seahorses
The lined seahorse has been listed as "vulnerable" since 1996 by the IUCN. This means their population is at risk, and there haven't been big improvements in protecting them. Their homes are being lost or harmed by pollution and coastal development. They are also caught by accident in fishing nets or caught on purpose. Since 1996, their population has dropped by at least 30 percent.
The H. erectus is a very popular seahorse for the aquarium trade. While most seahorses sold in aquariums are raised in captivity, this still affects the wild population. Lined seahorses are also used for decorations and in Chinese medicine. Even though they are popular, it's only thought that they could be raised on farms (aquaculture) for commercial use. If this happens successfully, it could help the wild population of lined seahorses recover.
See also
In Spanish: Hippocampus erectus para niños
