Black Sea sea ​​Horse is an indigenous inhabitant of the Black Sea, having formed into a separate species about 20 million years ago. Nature rewarded him with an original appearance, and in the course of evolution, unique abilities and skills appeared that were inaccessible to other inhabitants. underwater world. Human actions have put skates on the brink of extinction, forcing biologists to add them to the Red Book.

Description

In biological encyclopedias, the Black Sea seahorse is named Hippocampus guttulatus (long-snouted seahorse) and belongs to the class of ray-finned fish. Its upper part is similar to a chess "horse", and the elongated tubular mouth-pump (one third of the length of the head) only enhances the resemblance. The head is located perpendicular to the body and can move up / down, which other types of fish are not able to do. The eyes work independently of each other, and the viewing angle reaches 300 degrees.

The body of the seahorse is elongated and slightly flattened laterally and is constantly in an upright position due to a double air bladder, the upper section of which is smaller than the lower one. It ends with a long and flexible tail without a blade-fin, capable of curling into a ring. They skates cling to algae, hiding from danger or attacking prey from an ambush.

Sea Horse
Photo: http://zapcity.fr

For protective purposes, the body of the seahorse is covered with horny plates, spikes of various lengths and growths, which serve as an additional means of camouflage in thickets of algae. The shell is of high strength and does not lose its properties even after drying. Having a brownish-yellow color with small white dots, they are able to change color, adjusting to the environment.

Seahorses swim vertically and not very fast, making up to 70 “strokes” per second with their dorsal fin, helping themselves with oscillatory movements of the body and tail. Under the head there are two more small fins, corresponding in their functions to the pectoral fins of fish of "standard" forms.

Male seahorses are usually larger and grow up to 20-21 centimeters, females up to 17-18. The usual life expectancy does not exceed 4-5 years.

Habitat and food

The seahorse lives in the waters of the Black, Azov and mediterranean sea, off the eastern coast Atlantic Ocean, from the Netherlands to the African coast. It chooses places with a depth of up to 20 meters, with the obligatory presence of underwater vegetation, where it spends about 90% of its life, setting up ambushes and hiding from predators. Prefers water without strong currents.

They mostly live in small groups of 3-5 individuals, almost never gathering in large quantities. But they can also create couples for life, especially when living in artificial conditions aquariums. At the same time, if one of the partners dies, the second mourns very much, which is noticeable by the change in behavior, and may also die.


"Seed pair" of seahorses
Photo: https://c2.staticflickr.com

The seahorse feeds with the help of a mouth-pump, drawing food along with water at great speed, from distances up to 4 centimeters. He eats small bottom inhabitants of the sea, crustaceans, fish fry, plankton, which he catches from ambush in algae. It is worth noting the appetite of animals that “lunch” at least 5 times a day and are able to do this up to 10 hours a day.

An interesting fact: in seahorses, males, not females, bear and give birth to offspring.

Spawning

Unlike most animals, males are responsible for the reproduction of seahorses, who bear and “feed” the eggs, give birth to offspring. At the same time, females carefully choose the future father, and their mating dances can last 3 days. At this time, the skates swim in shallow water (up to 4 meters), swim together, periodically rising to the surface, exchange songs from click sounds, and even “kiss”, touching their pump mouths.


Seahorse in the waters of the Black Sea
Photo: wikimedia.org

When the prelude ends, the female lays eggs (depending on size, from 10 to 650 eggs). For this, at the bottom abdominal cavity the male is provided with an egg bag-pocket penetrated by the circulatory system to supply oxygen to the developing larvae. After filling (sometimes the pipit accepts eggs from several females), its seam closes and overgrows, and the “father” carries out internal fertilization of the eggs.

The gestation of eggs takes about 4-5 weeks. All this time, the seahorse is in shallow water, without leaving a square meter of its “personal” area, where it hunts and hides. This is his territory, where even “frivolous” females leave to provide the “nursing father” with enough food.

After the formation of fry, completely ready for independent life, difficult childbirth begins - the male can wriggle up to 2 days, trying to open the birth bag. Sometimes it ends with his death. If everything went well, the little skates crawl out of the pocket and rise to the surface for a breath of air (to fill the air bubble), then return to the "daddy". For some time they live next to him, hiding in a "bag" in case of danger, but soon they swim away and never return.

Use of seahorses

Seahorses are used by man in several areas, one of which is aesthetic in nature. Vacationers on the Black Sea coast willingly buy these original species of animals for souvenirs, or try to “domesticate” them by planting them in an aquarium. In the second case, death is also almost inevitable, since skates do not tolerate changes well, especially if their “half” is left in the sea.


Sea Horse

Another area in which seahorses are widely used is traditional medicine, especially among the peoples of Asia. According to traditional healers, drugs from animals help in the treatment of baldness, skin diseases, atherosclerosis, cough and asthma. Especially popular means in the treatment of impotence and disorders of sexual functions. The ability to bind harmful carcinogens in the human body and toxic substances which helps in the prevention of cancer.

Seahorses belong to the genus of small ray-finned fish of the needle family and live in tropical seas in shallow water. Based on the research, it was found that they are relatives of needlefish, although outwardly they look completely different. The first representatives appeared many millions of years ago. The body shape of these extraordinary creatures resembles a chess piece of a horse, thanks to which they got their name.

Appearance and structural features

By existing theory, seahorses appeared due to the occurrence of large areas of shallow water. Extensive shallows have led to the spread of algae, and, as a result, the animals that inhabited this environment.

This type of fish is small in size:

  • large representatives - body length reaches 28-30 cm, which makes them giants.
  • medium- about 10-12 cm.
  • miniature- body sizes vary from 4 to 13 mm.

The seahorse bears little resemblance to the rest of the inhabitants of the sea. Its swim bladder consists of the ventral and head parts, while in the head area it is larger, which causes it to move vertically, unlike other fish that swim horizontally. The creation is arranged according to the principle of a float: the upper part of the body is much lighter than the lower one, so the head is at the top.

These unique creatures have a large number of bone spikes that form very strong prickly armor, as well as leathery growths on their body, thanks to which they are perfectly camouflaged and remain inaccessible to predators. The mouth is tubular, the tail is twisted into a spiral, which helps to cling to algae and corals, and the eyes rotate independently of each other.

They easily change color, imitating the color of underwater plants and merging with the surrounding area. They can change color both in whole and in part. The predominant hue is yellow, and the change in color brightness depends on mood, environment, and even stress.

In the water column, seahorses move due to the motor activity of the dorsal and pectoral fins: a small fan-shaped fin is necessary for moving forward, and the pectoral fins help maintain vertical balance and control their own activity.

Habitat and food for fish

To date, about 50 species of seahorses have already been described, more than half of which are listed in the Red Book. They live in tropical and subtropical coastal waters. About six species of fish were found in the Red Sea, and in the seas washing the coast of Russia, two types are found - the Black Sea and the Japanese. Their main habitat is the coastal waters of Italy and the Canary Islands.

These creatures lead a sedentary lifestyle, they can be found mainly in dense thickets of algae and other marine vegetation. The seahorse is able to travel long distances, clinging to the fins of fish with its tail and waiting until they swim through thickets of algae.

These cute and seemingly harmless creatures are predators. The basis of their diet is crustaceans, shrimps and plankton. Their way of eating is quite interesting. Having hooked on algae with its tail, the seahorse remains motionless, waiting for prey. Noticing a shrimp, the fish turns its tubular stigma towards it and puffs out its cheeks, pulling the victim into its mouth along with water. They are able to do this even from a distance of 3 cm.

Seahorses eat quite a lot, they can hunt throughout the day, taking only short breaks. Approximately 3-4 thousand crustaceans are eaten per day.

Ritual greetings and reproduction

These amazing creatures are monogamous, and if a couple is formed, then it will not break up until the death of one of the partners. They reproduce differently than other animals.

What is unique is that in seahorses, males, not females, bear future offspring.

The mating season of these animals is an amazing sight. In the morning, males perform ritual greetings, which consist in circling around the chosen one. Thus, they demonstrate that they are ready for reproduction. The female reacts to this behavior of the male, starting to spin around herself without moving. This ritual is repeated every morning and lengthens as mating approaches.

For it to become possible, simultaneous maturation of the female and male is necessary.

  1. During the next greeting ritual, the female goes up, and the male follows her.
  2. She has a clearly visible ovipositor, and his bag opens wide.
  3. The female lays eggs in a wide opening of the bag with the help of a special papilla until it is completely filled.
  4. The number of eggs can reach more than six hundred, depending on the type of fish and its size.

The male bears his future offspring for a month. After this period, slightly grown fry are born. They are born an absolute copy of their parents, but their body is devoid of color and is transparent. After birth, the fish are left to their own devices. In nature, they live about 4-5 years.

It happens that one of the partners is not ready for mating. In this case, spawning is interrupted and the whole process is resumed again. The readiness of the male is determined by the changes that occur inside the pocket: the skin becomes like a sponge filled with blood vessels. This is very important for proper development eggs.

Features of the content in the aquarium

Seahorses are vulnerable and fragile creatures that need comfortable conditions to exist. Having decided to purchase such unique residents for your aquarium, you should first of all prepare a new container for them. By launching them into a used aquarium, the fish may encounter numerous limiting factors that they will not be able to cope with. The vertical space should be large and be at least 450 m.

Other important points to consider:

Water temperature To keep seahorses alive, the water temperature must range between 21-23 degrees, which is lower than the temperatures for most aquarium fish.
Capacity The aquarium should contain 140-150 liters. At the bottom, it is necessary to place several snags, for which they could cling to their tail. Potentially dangerous creatures or objects should be avoided in the tank, for example, it is not recommended to place corals, as they can harm the fish
Current speed DC water flow - one of the main requirements. This can be achieved with a quality filter. It is necessary to monitor the flow rate, which should be about 10 revolutions per hour. Exceeding the rate will weaken and lead to exhaustion of fragile animals, which will be forced to constantly resist the current.
Aquarium cleanliness As a result of the rapid life of seahorses and digestion a large number The food liquid in the aquarium is constantly contaminated. Attention should be paid to both mechanical and biological cleaning of the tank
Neighborhood Due to their extreme slowness, living with active fish can be a challenge for them. Extraordinary creatures will be forced to be in constant stress which is detrimental to their health. Seahorses are recommended to settle with calm and peaceful neighbors, for example, blennies, snails or hermit crabs

In addition to their amazing body shape, seahorses boast some other features and hallmarks. We can highlight the following interesting facts about these extraordinary creatures:

  • Seahorses lack teeth and a stomach, food is instantly digested, and waste is removed. In order not to die of hunger, they need to constantly eat.
  • These fish are extremely stressed. They can die quite quickly in an environment that is unusual for them, even if there is no shortage of food. They like calm and clear water. Strong pitching is a great danger for these marine animals, as it leads to exhaustion.
  • Seahorses are monogamous and are faithful partners. After the death of one of them, the other begins to grieve heavily, which can lead to his death.
  • The female decides who exactly will make her a couple. To do this, she tests a suitable candidate for several days, intertwining with him in a dance, rising to the surface of the water and then sinking to the bottom. The male should not lag behind the chosen one, otherwise she will go in search of another groom. If the chosen one managed to pass the strength test, the partners start mating.
  • The dorsal fin of these fish makes up to 35 movements per second.
  • They lead a sedentary lifestyle, which is caused by a low speed of movement. The pygmy seahorse can only swim about 2 meters in an hour, making it the slowest fish in the world.
  • Their body is covered with strong bony plates that protect them from many dangers. Even after the death of the fish, it is very difficult to break this armor.

Almost all types of seahorses are listed in the Red Book. According to statistics, up to middle age only 1-2% of fry survive. The greatest danger to these fish is posed by people who catch about 20 million a year. The Chinese believe that eating creatures enhances male power, and a portion of cooked seahorses in a restaurant costs about $800.

The seahorse is a small-sized fish that is a member of the Needle family from the order Sticklebacks. Studies have shown that the seahorse is a highly modified needlefish. Today, the seahorse is a fairly rare creature. In this article you will find a description and photo of a seahorse, learn a lot of new and interesting things about this extraordinary creature.

The seahorse looks very unusual and the shape of the body resembles a chess piece of a horse. The seahorse fish has many long bony spines and various leathery outgrowths on its body. Thanks to this body structure, the seahorse looks invisible among the algae and remains inaccessible to predators. The seahorse looks amazing, it has small fins, its eyes rotate independently of each other, and its tail is twisted into a spiral. The seahorse looks diverse, because it can change the color of its scales.


The seahorse looks small, its size depends on the species and varies from 4 to 25 cm. In the water, the seahorse swims vertically, unlike other fish. This is due to the fact that the swim bladder of a seahorse consists of an abdominal and a head part. The head bladder is larger than the abdominal one, which allows the seahorse to maintain an upright position when swimming.


Now the seahorse is becoming less and less common and is on the verge of extinction due to the rapid decline in numbers. There are many reasons for the extinction of the seahorse. The main one is the destruction by man of both the fish itself and its habitats. Off the coast of Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, skates are massively caught. The exotic appearance and bizarre body shape caused people to start making gift souvenirs from them. For beauty, they artificially bend their tail and give the body the shape of the letter "S", but in nature the skates do not look like that.


Another reason that contributes to the decline in the population of seahorses is that they are a delicacy. Gourmets highly appreciate the taste of these fish, especially the eyes and liver of seahorses. In a restaurant, the cost of one serving of such a dish is $ 800.


In total, there are about 50 species of seahorses, 30 of which are already listed in the Red Book. Fortunately, seahorses are very prolific and can produce over a thousand fry at one time, which keeps the seahorses from disappearing. Seahorses are bred in captivity, but this fish is very whimsical to keep. One of the most extravagant seahorses is the rag-picker seahorse, which you can see in the photo below.


The seahorse lives in tropical and subtropical seas. Seahorse fish lives mainly at shallow depths or near the coast and leads a sedentary lifestyle. The seahorse lives in dense thickets of algae and other marine vegetation. It attaches with its flexible tail to plant stems or corals, remaining almost invisible due to its body covered with various outgrowths and spikes.


The seahorse fish changes body color to blend in completely with environment. Thus, the seahorse successfully disguises itself not only from predators, but also during food production. The seahorse is very bony, so few people want to eat it. The main hunter of the seahorse is the large land crab. The seahorse can travel long distances. To do this, he attaches his tail to the fins of various fish and keeps on them until the "free taxi" swims into the algae thickets.


What do seahorses eat?

Seahorses eat crustaceans and shrimps. Seahorses are very interesting eaters. The tubular stigma, like a pipette, draws prey into the mouth along with water. Seahorses eat quite a lot and hunt almost the whole day, taking short breaks for a couple of hours.


During the day, seahorses eat about 3 thousand planktonic crustaceans. But seahorses eat almost any food, as long as it does not exceed the size of the mouth. The seahorse fish is a hunter. With its flexible tail, the seahorse clings to algae and remains motionless until the prey is in the required proximity to the head. After that, the seahorse sucks in water along with food.


How do seahorses reproduce?

Seahorses reproduce in a rather unusual way, because the male bears their fry. It is not uncommon for seahorses to have monogamous pairs. The mating season of seahorses is an amazing sight. The couple, who are about to enter into a marriage union, are fastened with their tails and dance in the water. In the dance, the skates are pressed against each other, after which the male opens a special pocket in the abdominal region, into which the female throws eggs. In the future, the male bears offspring for a month.


Seahorses breed quite often and bring large offspring. A seahorse gives birth to one thousand or more fry at a time. Fry are born an absolute copy of adults, only very tiny. The babies that are born are left to their own devices. In nature, a seahorse lives for about 4-5 years.


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If you do not live near warm ocean or a water park something you might not have seen seahorses or sea dragons to see just how amazing these tiny creatures are. Long, elongated, like those of a horse, their heads give them an almost mythical image. In reality, they are not immortal, and besides, many die during the storm. Sea "horses" hide with the help of excellent camouflage, long spikes and ribbon-like outgrowths make them invisible in their natural underwater environment.

The size of seahorses is from 2 to 20 centimeters. Seahorses like leafy sea dragons and sea needles carry their offspring in special bags where the female spawns. The burden of maternal care falls on. With such entertaining and interesting facts as well as amazing pictures of seahorses we invite you to familiarize yourself.

Seahorses (Hippocampus) - gentle and beautiful creatures got their name from the ancient Greek "hippo", which means "horse" and "campos" - " sea ​​monsters". The genus Hippocampus includes 54 marine fish species.
The spotted seahorse in the photo is 15 centimeters long and lives up to four years.

Spectacular rainbow seahorse in Hamburg, Germany.

Leafy sea dragons at the Georgia Aquarium. Sea "monsters" live at southern shores Australia and are masters of disguise. Seemingly harmless, the sea dragon is a real predator - it feeds on small fish and shrimps.

The weedy sea dragon is endangered. With small tubular snouts, relatives of seahorses suck in tiny prey, sometimes various debris gets there.

Leafy sea dragons at Birch Aquarium, San Diego, California. They can grow up to 35 cm in length. When the males are ready to mate, their leafy tails turn bright yellow.

The Black Sea seahorse is a rare sight in shallow waters, Romania.

Leafy sea dragon in an aquarium, Atlanta. In nature, they live in the tropical coastal waters of South and Western Australia.

spiny seahorse(Hippocampus histrix) gets its name from the spikes that stick out of it. Usually lives in - from 3 to 80 meters. One of the most large species seahorses and can grow up to 17 cm.

Seahorse at the Oregon Aquarium. Sea Horses are not good swimmers. The other is the only type of fish when males carry unborn offspring on themselves.

Weed sea dragon near seagrass, Sydney, Australia. Brown algae and reefs serve as good camouflage for them and protection from predators.

At first glance, pregnant seahorses, but they are not. bellied seahorses(Hippocampus abdominalis) is a separate species and one of the largest, can reach a length of 35 cm.

The spiny seahorse, like most of its brethren, is threatened with extinction. The human appetite for exotic fish is on the rise, which is why skates have been listed as protected by the Convention on international trade types wildlife and flora endangered.

Leaf sea dragons, like their relatives, weed dragons, are very caring fathers. They bear offspring on themselves. born fry immediately become independent.

Pipefish another distant relative of seahorses. This creature has a longer, straighter body with tiny mouths.

Another one of the seahorse relatives at the Wilhelm Zoo, Germany.

Macro photo of a gray and yellow seahorse at the Zurich Zoo. While eating or interacting with other relatives, these fish make a "clicking" sound.

Say love between them ...

Leafy sea dragons dance at the Dallas Aquarium. The only working fins are on the chest and back, so sea dragons are not very fast - 150 meters per hour. Individuals were observed that spent up to 68 hours in one place.

A pygmy seahorse camouflages itself against soft coral near Cebu, Philippines. Pygmies reach a maximum length of 2.4 cm. The zone of residence is from southern Japan to northern Australia in reef areas at a depth of 10-40 meters.

Sea needle - Solenostomus paradoxus - off the coast of Thailand. Close relatives of seahorses come in a variety of colors and sizes, ranging from 2.5 to 50 cm.

Excellent disguise.

Weedy sea dragons close-up. Left: Shelly Beach weed dragon, Australia; right: eggs on male dragons.

Morning mating dances of seahorses.

The skinny body of a weedy dragon "flies" through the water. The body of the sea dragon and its color develops based on the environment, food.

The skinny and toothless marine needle has a snake-like body.

Seahorses are voracious. The absence of a stomach and teeth makes them constantly eat. In this regard, they consume up to 50 shrimp per day.

Before mating, the courtship ritual of seahorses lasts several days. Few couples stay together for life, most stay together only during the mating season.

Nature miracle.

The perfection of nature.

Close-up

Friendly family.

Schultz's needlefish - Corythoichthys schultzi - in Egypt.

Different types of seahorses and dragons.

Seahorses are the slowest marine fish.

Only 1% of fry grow to adults.

Seahorses are masters of camouflage.

The pygmy pipit is one of the smallest vertebrates in the world against the backdrop of soft corals.

Stunning shot: a kiss of lovers.

The beauty of a leafy sea dragon.

The needle family includes: seahorses, seapikes, leafy and weedy sea dragons.

Spiny seahorse.

The proud loneliness of a seahorse.

Close-up.

Curiosity.

The seahorse looks more like a chess piece of a horse or a gargoyle from a Gothic cathedral than a fish. Unlike other fish, it swims vertically, moves its eyes freely, as if it does not have a tail in the usual sense of the word, but it has a neck unusual for underwater inhabitants ... In addition, the males of these strange fish themselves bear offspring - how can one not be curious about this phenomenon?

let me introduce myself

Seahorses (Hippocampus) are small fish, the average size of which, depending on the species, ranges from 1.5 to 30 centimeters. They are found in tropical and subtropical seas, and inhabit warm shallow waters - thickets of algae and. Life expectancy up to 4-5 years.

evolutionary passport

The seahorse is a member of the needlefish family. The typical needlefish is also quite unusual and has an elongated body, a long tail without a fin and a tubular stigma. If you put this fish upright, bend its head and twist its tail in a spiral, you would get a seahorse. Scientists believe that this happened 25 million years ago, when skates separated into a separate genus. Most likely, this was a response to the occurrence of large areas of shallow water, which was caused by tectonic events of the past.

How does a seahorse swim?

The swim bladder of the fish is located along the entire body and is divided by a septum that separates head part from the rest of the body. At the same time, the head bladder is larger than the abdominal one, which provides the skate with a vertical position when swimming. The skate also moves in the water column, mainly vertically: by changing the volume of gas inside the swimming one, it sinks or rises.

The horse uses a long, flexible and finless tail as an anchor: with it it clings to ledges of corals or algae, it can also hug a girlfriend, but it is completely unsuitable for rowing. This role is partly taken over by a mobile dorsal fin, as well as paired pectoral fins, which, despite the name, are located on the sides of the body.

This carelessness of the seahorse is caused by its unwillingness to compete with someone in speed or swim against the current, because it avoids strong underwater currents and prefers familiar terrain to everything else. So most of the time the seahorse spends clinging to the coral or algae with its tail and carefully examining everything around.

What's on the menu?

Skates don’t particularly need to hunt: you sit in one place, and slowly swims past and asks for lunch yourself. The tubular mouth of the skate, so unlike the flapping fish mouth, works like a pipette: by moving the gill covers, the fish creates a thrust that can suck in a careless crustacean from a distance of up to 4 centimeters. In the oral cavity, the caught prey is filtered and sent to the throat, and the water drawn in with it is discharged through the gills. In general, their skate can be called a voracious predator: it is able to eat for 10 hours a day, eating up to 3600 crustaceans and shrimps.

Chameleon of the underwater kingdom

The horse does not know how to flee and is not poisonous, but it has a whole arsenal of tricks hidden away. To begin with, there are chromatophore cells in the skin of the fish, thanks to which they are so diversely colored and can change their color depending on the background. It is not easy to see an almost motionless fish of a bizarre shape: either it is hiding in the thickets, or slowly drifting under the very nose of a predator, like a fragment of algae.

The seahorse's unusual eyes help to keep track of the situation: they do not seem "fishy" at all, since they can move independently of each other. So one eye can keep an eye on potential prey, while the other eye can keep itself from becoming prey. But, on the other hand, there are not so many people who want to eat a seahorse in the sea.

Bone plates and spikes protruding from under the skin of a small fish make it not very tasty (and this is not counting the internal skeleton). Under this pile of thorns, there is quite a bit of edible food - after all, the skate does not need developed muscles (it hardly swims), nor a supply of fat (food is always available in abundance). Nevertheless, there are gourmets and skates - rays, large crabs and some other predators.

love-carrot

The only thing that can make a seahorse show agility and even dancing abilities is mating games. Male seahorses outwardly differ little from females - except that they are slightly larger, and there is a special organ on the abdomen - a brood chamber, somewhat similar to a kangaroo bag. During the breeding season, the walls of this pocket swell, it becomes clearly visible and attracts the attention of females.

Having come close, the fish intertwine their tails and slowly walk up and down the sea “lawns”. In the process of courtship, the male can even change his color to match the body color of his girlfriend. Then the pair begin to click, tossing their heads and touching the spikes on the body with bone crowns. Finally, the female lays the eggs in the male's pocket, where they are immediately fertilized. Some types of skates put an end to their relationship on this, others remain together all their lives ...

Sea "colts"

The "pregnant" extreme father takes care of the offspring from two weeks to two months. The vascular tissue of the brood chamber actually functions as the placenta, supplying the eggs with oxygen and nutrients. And in total, the “fish daddy” can carry more than a thousand babies in his pocket. The fry are born with a characteristic body shape and ready for independent life, but they are still able to straighten up, clearly demonstrating a direct relationship with the common needlefish. The male continues to take care of the offspring even after birth: in case of danger, at his signal, the fry hide the brood pouch.

What threatens the seahorse?

IN Lately exotic fish is subject to intensive fishing, and almost all species of skates known today are listed in the international Red Book in the status of "vulnerable" and "threatened". They are used in folk medicine in Asia, sold to lovers of unusual aquarium creatures, or served as a delicacy for $800 a serving. In addition, their populations are affected by pollution of the seas and the destruction of coral reefs due to global warming.

The Black Sea seahorse is the indigenous inhabitant of the Black Sea, having formed into a separate species about 20 million years ago. Nature rewarded him with an original appearance, and in the course of evolution, unique abilities and skills appeared that were inaccessible to other inhabitants of the underwater world. Human actions have put skates on the brink of extinction, forcing biologists to add them to the Red Book.

Description

In biological encyclopedias, the Black Sea seahorse is named Hippocampus guttulatus (long-snouted seahorse) and belongs to the class of ray-finned fish. Its upper part is similar to a chess "horse", and the elongated tubular mouth-pump (one third of the length of the head) only enhances the resemblance. The head is located perpendicular to the body and can move up / down, which other types of fish are not able to do. The eyes work independently of each other, and the viewing angle reaches 300 degrees.

The body of the seahorse is elongated and slightly flattened laterally and is constantly in an upright position due to a double air bladder, the upper section of which is smaller than the lower one. It ends with a long and flexible tail without a blade-fin, capable of curling into a ring. They skates cling to algae, hiding from danger or attacking prey from an ambush.

Sea Horse
Photo: http://zapcity.fr

For protective purposes, the body of the seahorse is covered with horny plates, spikes of various lengths and growths, which serve as an additional means of camouflage in thickets of algae. The shell is of high strength and does not lose its properties even after drying. Having a brownish-yellow color with small white dots, they are able to change color, adjusting to the environment.

Seahorses swim vertically and not very fast, making up to 70 “strokes” per second with their dorsal fin, helping themselves with oscillatory movements of the body and tail. Under the head there are two more small fins, corresponding in their functions to the pectoral fins of fish of "standard" forms.

Male seahorses are usually larger and grow up to 20-21 centimeters, females up to 17-18. The usual life expectancy does not exceed 4-5 years.

Habitat and food

The seahorse lives in the waters of the Black, Azov and Mediterranean Seas, off the eastern shores of the Atlantic Ocean, from the Netherlands to the African coast. It chooses places with a depth of up to 20 meters, with the obligatory presence of underwater vegetation, where it spends about 90% of its life, setting up ambushes and hiding from predators. Prefers water without strong currents.

They mostly live in small groups of 3-5 individuals, almost never gathering in large numbers. But they can also create pairs for life, especially when living in artificial conditions of aquariums. At the same time, if one of the partners dies, the second mourns very much, which is noticeable by the change in behavior, and may also die.



"Seed pair" of seahorses
Photo: https://c2.staticflickr.com

The seahorse feeds with the help of a mouth-pump, drawing food along with water at great speed, from distances up to 4 centimeters. He eats small bottom inhabitants of the sea, crustaceans, fish fry, plankton, which he catches from ambush in algae. It is worth noting the appetite of animals that “lunch” at least 5 times a day and are able to do this up to 10 hours a day.

An interesting fact: in seahorses, males, not females, bear and give birth to offspring.

Spawning

Unlike most animals, males are responsible for the reproduction of seahorses, who bear and “feed” the eggs, give birth to offspring. At the same time, females carefully choose the future father, and their mating dances can last 3 days. At this time, the skates swim in shallow water (up to 4 meters), swim together, periodically rising to the surface, exchange songs from click sounds, and even “kiss”, touching their pump mouths.



Seahorse in the waters of the Black Sea
Photo: wikimedia.org

When the prelude ends, the female lays eggs (depending on size, from 10 to 650 eggs). For this, an egg pouch-pocket is provided in the lower part of the male's abdominal cavity, penetrated by the circulatory system to supply oxygen to the developing larvae. After filling (sometimes the pipit accepts eggs from several females), its seam closes and overgrows, and the “father” carries out internal fertilization of the eggs.

The gestation of eggs takes about 4-5 weeks. All this time, the seahorse is in shallow water, without leaving a square meter of its “personal” area, where it hunts and hides. This is his territory, where even “frivolous” females leave to provide the “nursing father” with enough food.

After the formation of fry, completely ready for independent life, difficult childbirth begins - the male can wriggle up to 2 days, trying to open the birth bag. Sometimes it ends with his death. If everything went well, the little skates crawl out of the pocket and rise to the surface for a breath of air (to fill the air bubble), then return to the "daddy". For some time they live next to him, hiding in a "bag" in case of danger, but soon they swim away and never return.

Use of seahorses

Seahorses are used by man in several areas, one of which is aesthetic in nature. Vacationers on the Black Sea coast willingly buy these original species of animals for souvenirs, or try to “domesticate” them by planting them in an aquarium. In the second case, death is also almost inevitable, since skates do not tolerate changes well, especially if their “half” is left in the sea.



Sea Horse

Another area in which seahorses are widely used is traditional medicine, especially among the peoples of Asia. According to traditional healers, drugs from animals help in the treatment of baldness, skin diseases, atherosclerosis, cough and asthma. Especially popular means in the treatment of impotence and disorders of sexual functions. The ability to bind harmful carcinogens and toxic substances in the human body is also noted, which helps in the prevention of cancer.

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01/11/2017 at 21:34 Moscow time 5 631

The seahorse is a fish that is unique in nature and has interesting shape torso.

At first glance, it is very similar to one of the most recognizable chess pieces.

There are more than 50 species of these creatures in the world, but only thirty-two species have been studied in detail.

In addition, anthropologists have made sensational conclusions based on the found prehistoric fossilized remains, they say that in the past it is a specifically modified needle fish.

An interesting ability of these marine life thing is the male becomes the breeder. The process itself will be discussed in detail a little later.

Appearance

The appearance and body structure of this species of fish are able to adapt to any environment. Once in the territory that strongly betrays her appearance, she immediately changes the appearance of her color in a few minutes like a chameleon and merges with the underwater environment.









His body is endowed with many spikes of various sizes, ribbon-like leathery outgrowths that are on his body, are also able to hide him in the depths of the sea from the eyes of a predator and potential victims.

There are at least two popular types of these wonderful creatures. The dwarf skate has a body length not exceeding 2.5 cm. It lives in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Malayan species of skates is quite larger than its aforementioned counterpart, its body length can reach up to 25 centimeters.

The small mobility of this fish is provided by its eyes, which have a remarkable ability. Eyeballs are able to move independently of each other, thereby increasing horizons.

Range and habitat

This species is distributed in places with a subtropical climate from the coast of Indonesia to Australia. It also lives along the Atlantic coast of Europe, North America and Africa. Little-studied species live in the waters of the Pacific Ocean closer to the shores of the United States.

Habitat

Overgrown sea shallow water is an ideal habitat for this fish. It also actively inhabits swampy or sandy water areas.

Lifestyle

This fish leads a predominantly solitary and sedentary lifestyle, so as not to drift during high tide and low tide, it clings to algae or corals with its flexible and powerful tail.

It is worth noting that most of their lives they are in shallow water, in a slight current with a water temperature of at least +25. The current carries great amount plankton for food. Movement in water is carried out with the help of a vertebral fin, which performs more than 30 strokes in one second.

Nutrition

His diet is very poor, daily menu includes:

  • plankton;
  • small fish
  • crustaceans;
  • shrimps;

He himself becomes a victim of enemies very rarely, as he is a master of disguises. Thanks to this, the victim, not noticing the danger, approaches him herself, having a tubular snout, the skate is able to suck it in at a distance of three centimeters.

Enemies

Due to its anatomical structure of the skeleton, not every enemy is able to digest its many small, but very strong bones.

Land crab - is the single most dangerous and ruthless enemy for this species of fish.

reproduction

The reverse distribution of roles between male and female makes this species even more mysterious. The breeding season in tropical warm waters can be all year round, in the cold - in spring and summer.

During mating season the male makes sounds resembling finger snaps so that her eyes fall on him. After a while, the female reciprocates and approaches him. Taking this opportunity, we want to invite you to listen to our huge collection of sounds from the category:.

In a special pocket, located under the tail of the male, the female throws in a huge amount of fertilized eggs, providing him with further care for future offspring, and she herself disappears away to mate with other males.

The term for the development of caviar may be different, this is due to the temperature of the water. In warm water, it is no more than 14 days, and in cold water, 28 days. To feed the fry, the male releases a special liquid into his bag.

When the offspring matures, the male releases the fry already able to swim into the wild. Their number depends on the species, the minimum of them can be 50, the maximum is more than 1000 individuals.

Many people wonder: why is the seahorse in an upright position? We decided to investigate and answer this interesting question. .

The reason is as follows; the stabilizing swim bladder of this fish is located along the entire body and is divided by a septum that separates the upper body from the rest.

As a result, the head bladder is larger than the abdominal one, it is this arrangement of the bladder that provides the fish with a vertical position.

Red Book

Irreparable damage to the taxon is caused by fishing trawls, which destroy the seabed along with the natural habitat of the marine organism.





Currently, all types of skates are listed in the Red Book and are strictly protected by law. Reasons for this abound, for example; while you are reading this post, illegal fishing for this exotic creature is underway off the coast of Malaysia. In these countries, it is a delicacy and is very popular among tourists..

Lifespan

In the wild this interesting view fish can exist no more than 7 years.

Related species

To date, the closest relative of our hero is the stickleback fish.

  1. Some species of marine organisms are threatened with extinction.
  2. Floats in an upright position.
  3. Souvenirs depicting this fish are actively purchased by tourists in East Asia.
  4. The liver and eyes of this fish are considered a delicacy; in fish restaurants, a serving of this dish can cost up to $1,000.
  5. The male himself is engaged in the withdrawal of offspring.

The 16th-century French naturalist Guillaume Rondele, one of the first to publish a fundamental work on marine fish, described the seahorse as a cross between insects and primitive coelenterates. No wonder, because this creature strikes with its unusual appearance. But modern scientists have come to the conclusion that seahorses are still fish. Indeed, they breathe through gills, have a swim bladder that allows them to control their buoyancy, and are able to spawn. But the seahorse is a very special fish, and how more people studies it, the more interesting facts learns:

The seahorse is a fish, but it does not have scales. The bodies of these creatures are covered with rigid plates that form a kind of exoskeleton. This makes them unattractive prey for a number of predators. By the way, they also have an internal skeleton.


Seahorses are different sizes: tiny as a pine nut and as big as a banana. The largest members of this tribe belong to the species Hippocampus abdominalis, also known as the pot-bellied seahorse. They can reach 35 cm and live in the waters of South Australia and New Zealand. The smallest of known species called a seahorse Satomi(Hippocampus satomiae), it was described by biologists in 2008. Its size is only one and a half centimeters, and the place of residence is the waters of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.


Today, there are about 54 species of seahorses around the world, although there is no consensus on their number yet. The identification of these animals is a very difficult task, because individuals of the same species can vary greatly in appearance. In addition, researchers continue to find new species.

Seahorses swim well. The pygmy seahorse holds the record for slowness, developing "fantastic" speed: 1.5 meters per hour. It is not surprising that skates spend most of the time standing "at anchor", that is, catching their flexible tail on something motionless.

But seahorses are avid hitchhikers. They can move long distances by clinging to floating algae and debris. This allows you to save energy, but during a storm, travelers are constantly at risk of being washed ashore along with their unreliable boats.


Seahorses move with the help of a small fin on their back, which flutters up to 35 times per second. The pectoral fins, which are even smaller in size, are located closer to the back of the head and serve purely for steering. These fish are very maneuverable: they can easily move up, down, forward and backward.

Seahorses have no teeth and no stomach. Food passes through their digestive system so quickly that they have to eat almost continuously. These creatures are able to eat more 3000 microscopic crustaceans per day. Left without food, they can quickly die from exhaustion.

The graceful muzzles of these animals, thanks to which they got their name, act like a vacuum cleaner pipe. When prey swims nearby, the skate sharply sucks it up. If the prey is too large, the seahorse's mouth may expand slightly.


The eyes of seahorses operate independently of each other, allowing them to monitor the space around them without moving or betraying their presence. This means they can look forward and backward at the same time! This feature is very useful because these animals hunt by sight. And they are excellent.

These underwater inhabitants are specialists in disguise. Some species can change their body color to blend in with their surroundings, while others are already born indistinguishable from a coral sprig or seaweed fragment.

Seahorses can communicate with each other by making clicking or smacking sounds. Most often this occurs during meals and courtship.


Seahorses have a complex and lengthy courtship ritual. The male can seek the location of the female for several days. As if dancing, they copy each other's movements for several hours or intertwine their tails. Already established couples can "dance" every day, strengthening the bond with each other. Those types of skates that are able to change color use this opportunity during mating games.

Some types of seahorses are monogamous, while others only stay together during the mating season.

The most amazing feature these animals is their unique way of reproduction. The female spawns like an ordinary fish, but the eggs are placed in a special bag located on the front of the male's body. He fertilizes her and bears in his rounded belly. Dad's gestation period varies from 14 days to 4 weeks. The number of eggs can range from 50-150 for small species and up to 1500 for larger ones. Childbirth is accompanied by contractions and can last up to 12 hours.


Newborn seahorses look like miniature copies of their parents, do not need their help and immediately go to independent travel. For the first weeks of their life, they drift aimlessly along with plankton and are vulnerable to many predators. Fewer than one in a hundred escape the fate of being prey and reach maturity.

For many people, the seahorse is associated with south seas and hot countries, but these are not such pampered animals. They are found not only in the tropics, but also off the coast of Great Britain and Eastern Canada. Even in black and Seas of Azov where the water is not salty enough for most tropical fish, you can meet one of the species of seahorse.


The average lifespan of a seahorse is between 4 - 6 years. However, many species are endangered due to overfishing. In particular, more than 20 million skates are caught annually for the needs of traditional Chinese medicine. Other factors that negatively affect their numbers are ocean pollution and the degradation of coral reefs.

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The unusual appearance of the seahorse makes it a popular inhabitant of aquariums. Its bizarre vertical shape and unusual mode of movement attract attention. But before you get such a pet, you should know the rules of care, the features of its behavior and coexistence with other inhabitants.

Habitat

Seahorses live in warm tropical and subtropical waters. Found off the coast of England. Some species live in the Black and Azov Seas.

Prefer salty and clean water, quiet calm backwaters. It is the sea waves and pitching that pose a great danger to such fish.

Description

This bony fish from the marine needle family. Possesses vertical structure body, from 2 to 30 cm in height. Their body is covered with a hard bony shell. In females, the shell is solid, in males, the shell is only on top, Bottom part not protected.

His head does not turn and is rigidly connected to the body, but his eyes can rotate 360 ​​°, and separately from each other, like a chameleon. And like chameleons they can change body color adapting to the environment.

This helps them hide from predators or when hunting for plankton. They spend their whole lives almost motionless, catching algae or corals with their tail.

Did you know? The seahorse has practically no natural enemies. Their body is so rigid that no one has the strength to gnaw through a fish. They are hunted only by large land crabs that are able to digest it.

These fish have the simplest structure digestive system They don't have a stomach or teeth, so they're always eating. They lie in wait for their prey and suck up water along with plankton.

Before you start settling fish in an aquarium, you need to prepare a habitat for them:

  • Aquarium preparation. It is best to prepare a new one, with a wall height of 50-60 cm and a volume of 60-70 liters per individual.
  • Aquarium decor. Quartz sand or special soil for reef aquariums is used as a substrate. Both live and artificial brown are planted in it. Decorative stones, driftwood, artificial racks are placed. All this will allow animals to cling to their tails and hunt. It is worth considering quiet places, grottoes, where the skates can rest.
  • Water preparation. Water should be clean, filtered, salty. The water temperature all year round should be 23-24°C. Therefore, in summer it is worth taking care of cooling, and in winter - about heating the aquarium.
  • Lighting. Skates do not tolerate bright light. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust this issue if you plan to combine ordinary reef fish, corals and skates.
  • Filtration. The water in the aquarium should be clean and not very fast current, 10 revolutions of the total volume of water per hour is sufficient. A good set for such an aquarium will be a skimmer and a pump. The skimmer will filter the water, collect sewage and feces, saturate the water with oxygen, and the pump will create an optimum flow rate.

Important! The aquarium should not contain any potentially dangerous items for skates that could injure or harm them. Including stinging corals and anemones.

The aquarium is now ready to move in.

Skates are monogamous, the loss of a partner often ends in death for them, so they should be bought and populated in pairs.

Feeding

The process of feeding skates is different from feeding other fish.

Captive-bred fish will happily accept frozen Mysis, while sea-caught skates will refuse them and will eat only live food. Since the extraction of live food is associated with some troubles, it is worth accustoming skates to thawed and dry food.

The skate can eat dry fish food, pounded to the desired state. Over time, a colony of living creatures and mysids can form in the aquarium, on which skates will hunt with pleasure.

Also, do not feed the fish exclusively with brine shrimp - they lack important substances, as well as low nutritional value.

The food should always be fresh, and feeding daily. One individual eats 6-7 shrimps at one meal. They are fed three to four times a day.

There are two ways to feed:

1. From hands. Feed is given with the help of hands or a rubber douche. The method is slow, it will take 15-20 minutes to slowly feed one portion, but it is suitable as fun.

2. Feeders. Seashells, stones with notches, glass saucers and containers are suitable as a feeder. Feed is placed in these feeders, the fish swim up and eat at a convenient time for them.

First, you need to feed the fish - with the help of a syringe, lower the shrimp several times into the feeder and the skates will figure out where and when to swim for food.

Install several sticks near the feeder - the skates will cling to them with their tails while eating.

Compatibility with other inhabitants

Due to its leisurely behavior, the seahorse will not be able to get along with every aquarium inhabitant. They are slow, prone to stress, hard to accept changes.

It is often even recommended to keep a separate aquarium just for skates. There is quite a lot of truth in this advice, but with proper planning, it is quite possible to organize a well-functioning system from different types fish, coral, shellfish.

Skates coexist well with:

  • fish- blenny Synchiropus, scorpionfish, some cardinal fish and royal Gramm, small gobies. The main factor in determining a good neighbor is his low activity. Highly active fish will irritate the skates, suppress them, and take away food.

Important! First, you need to plant skates in an empty aquarium, and only after a few days, in small batches of selected neighbors.

Dangerous neighbors:

  • fish- any large, active fish will irritate the skates and take away food from them;
  • invertebrates- large crayfish, they can attack skates and inflict wounds on them with their claws, sea anemones are able to sting with stinging cells;
  • corals- almost all corals are bad neighbors, many species have stinging stinging cells, others require intense lighting. There are several types of corals that can be hooked, but if there is no complete certainty that this is the right coral, then it is better not to risk it and replace the live one with an artificial one.

Breeding

Breeding fish at home is an interesting activity, but it may not always work out. Need to create ideal conditions for each individual species.

Skates form pairs for a long time, it is not uncommon for one pair to hold on to each other all their lives. This is due to the peculiarities of their reproduction - males and females must achieve synchronism in their readiness to "become parents".

These fish reproduce differently than other animals. The key difference is that the male carries the fry. He has a special bag in his stomach where the female lays her eggs. Therefore, attention is sought not by the male, but by the female.

The beginning of the mating season of the fish is determined by the lunar cycle and the beginning of the ebb tide. It was then, with a strong current, that the fry are carried into the sea. Courtship starts with mating dance which starts at dawn.

It is started by the female, moving vertically in the water column, followed by the male. Gradually, the dance becomes more complicated, the animals begin to click. Synchronization is important in this dance, this is the secret of successful pairing of skates.

The female has an ovipositor and the male has a pouch where the female lays her eggs. In the bag, the eggs are fertilized, and the male bears them. The number of eggs depends on the type of animal and ranges from 60 to 1500.

Did you know? During mating games, skates not only dance, but also exchange« kisses» - touch« lips».

Pregnancy lasts 50-60 days, after which the male pushes the fry out of the bag. This is where care for the offspring ends, and the kids begin an independent life. Childbirth is quite difficult, they can last several days, and the risk of death of the male is high.

The percentage of survival of fry is quite small, out of a hundred born alive, 4-5 remain.

Diseases

Little is known about the diseases of these fish. They are affected by viral diseases, some protozoal and bacterial aeromonosis.

Infection can occur both from sick animals and contaminated decor that have fallen into the aquarium, and spontaneously, under the influence of stress.

A sick fish is removed from the main aquarium to a quarantine one. It should not contain living creatures and plants, only plastic algae and stones in which a sick animal can hide. The light in such an aquarium should be subdued, weaker than the main one.

Antibiotics ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol are used to treat bacteria.

As a preventive measure, you can take the following measures:

  • quarantine all newly arrived skates for several days;
  • when transplanting skates, treat them with anti-stress drugs;
  • regularly inspect each fish, and if you notice spots, bubbles, whitening of body parts, wounds, other violations, immediately send it to quarantine;
  • All decor must be cleaned and disinfected during installation.

In the absence of disease and good prevention, the average horse lives 3-4 years.

How to distinguish between female and male

It is not always easy to distinguish between a male and a female visually.

Their main features are:

  • the female is completely covered with a bone shell, the lower part of the male is free;
  • the male in the lower part of the body has a clearly visible bag in which he bears eggs.

The seahorse is a very curious pet. It is pleasant to watch him, it is interesting to feed him.