Pipefish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pipefish |
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| Alligator pipefish (Syngnathoides biaculeatus) | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Syngnathiformes |
| Family: | Syngnathidae |
| Subfamily: | Syngnathinae Bonaparte, 1831 |
| Genera | |
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See text. |
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Pipefishes are small, interesting fish. They are related to seahorses and seadragons. Together, they form a family of fish called Syngnathidae.
Contents
What Do Pipefishes Look Like?
Pipefishes look a lot like straight-bodied seahorses. They have tiny mouths at the end of a long, tube-like snout. This snout is how they got their name, because it looks like a pipe! Their mouths open upwards and don't have any teeth.
Their bodies and tails are long, thin, and can look a bit like a snake. Pipefishes have a special skeleton made of armored plates. These plates give their bodies a unique, angular shape, not round like most other fish.
Pipefishes always have a fin on their back called a dorsal fin. This fin is super important for how they move around. They don't have fins on their bellies. Other fins might be there or not, depending on the species. Their gill openings are very small and are located near the top back of their gill cover.
Many pipefish are not very strong swimmers in open water. They move slowly by wiggling their dorsal fin very fast. Some pipefish can even use their tails to grab onto things, just like seahorses do. Most pipefish have a tail fin, which helps them swim. Some types, like the "flagtail pipefish," are actually quite good swimmers!
Where Do Pipefishes Live?
Most pipefishes live in the ocean. Only a few types live in freshwater. You can find them in warm, tropical areas and also in cooler, temperate zones along the coasts.
Most pipefish are about 35 to 40 centimeters (14 to 16 inches) long. They usually like to live in calm places. These include coral reefs or areas with lots of seagrass beds.
Threats to Pipefish Homes
Pipefishes are not strong swimmers, so they often live in shallow waters. These areas can easily be disturbed by pollution from factories or by people enjoying the water. Boats and fishing gear can also stir up the sand and mud along the shore.
These disturbances harm the seagrasses and eelgrasses that pipefish need to survive. Since pipefish don't spread out much, it's hard for them to find new homes when theirs are damaged.
Another problem for pipefish is that they are sometimes caught for certain traditional remedies. There's also a growing demand for them in the aquarium trade. To help protect these fish, many places have put fishing rules in place.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Just like seahorses, male pipefishes do most of the parenting! The male takes care of the eggs after they are fertilized. He gives them food and oxygen, almost like a special connection. He keeps the eggs either on a special part of his body or in a brood pouch.
Brood pouches are different for various pipefish species. But all of them have a small opening where the female can put her eggs. The pouch can be along the male's whole belly or just at the base of his tail. Some male pipefish have a pouch that can completely close over the eggs. In other males, the eggs just stick to a soft strip of skin on their belly.
Scientists think male brooding evolved because it helped protect the eggs from predators. Also, baby pipefish get immune information from both their mom (in the egg) and their dad (in the pouch). This is special, as most animals only get this from their mom.
There's a limit to how many eggs a male pipefish can carry. Females often produce more eggs than a male can fit in his pouch. Male pipefish put a lot of energy into raising their young. Sometimes, if a male is very tired and doesn't have enough energy, he might even eat some of his embryos to get his strength back. Larger eggs usually have a better chance of surviving than smaller ones.
When young pipefish hatch, they can swim freely right away. They don't have much yolk left and start finding their own food immediately. They are independent from their parents. Some young pipefish spend a short time as tiny floating creatures called plankton. Others are born as miniature versions of their parents and act just like them.
How pipefish pair up can be very different. Some species stay with one partner for life or for a breeding season. Others mate with many partners.
Some female pipefish mate with two or more males. This often happens when males have limited space in their brood pouches. Females in these species might also have special features or colors to attract males. For example, the female Gulf pipefish is often bigger and has more decorations than the male.
Images for kids
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The subcaudal pouch of the male of the black-striped pipefish (Syngnathus abaster)
See also
In Spanish: Pez aguja para niños
