This exhibit closed on April 14, 2002.
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Seahorses' snouts let them suck in brine shrimp and other small prey.
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Their bodies don't look like other fishes, but they're fishes just the same
With horselike heads and kangaroolike pouches, seahorses don't look much like fish. But look again—they breathe through gills and have tiny fins for swimming. And underneath their tough skin lies a bony skeleton, complete with a backbone.
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Seahorses form faithful pairs—and seahorse dads get pregnant
Seahorses form long-term faithful pair bonds. Though they spend time apart, each day at dawn they join in a graceful dance of greeting. When they mate, it's the male who gets pregnant. He carries the young in a pouch until they're born, up to six weeks later.
They're big and small, active hunters and colorful characters, too
There are 32 species of seahorses, ranging in size from dwarf seahorses an inch or less in length to potbelly seahorses more than a foot long. Long narrow snouts let them suck up the tiny animals like brine shrimp that they eat. Some, like cape seahorses, are beige colored; others can be bright orange or purple. Back to top
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Male potbelly seahorses can inflate their brood pouches.
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Their lives are short, and they have few offspring
Seahorses live relatively brief lives, from a single year to perhaps four years or more. And they don't produce many young at a time. Longsnout seahorses , like other species, lay perhaps 1,000 eggs; other fishes produce hundreds of thousands each time they spawn. Many fishes eat young seahorses; adults have few predators. Back to top
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Seahorses come in many colors, from beige to bright purple.
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Camouflage helps keep seahorses safe from harm
Seahorses can match their color to the places where they live. That makes it hard for potential predators to see them. They're also able to grow long skin filaments that help them blend into the background.
Seahorses make their homes in waters around the world
Seahorses, including tiger tails, are most common in tropical seas, but they're found in all but the coldest ocean waters. Creatures of the coastlines, they usually live in water no more than 50 feet deep. They're most often found in the IndoPacific and West Atlantic regions. Back to top
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Find out more about seahorses.
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