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Potbellied Seahorse
Animal's Behavior
Male seahorses are the sex that become pregnant. Females lay their eggs onto a "brood patch" where they are fertilized. The male carries the eggs for about a month before they hatch, sometimes hundreds at a time, and the young are able swim out on their own.
Eating Habits
Seahorses are voracious feeders, eating mainly crustaceans, such as shrimps, and other small animals living among the seaweed such as copepods and amphipods. Seahorses are known to be picky eaters.
Range
Potbellied Seahorses live around the coastline of New Zealand and Australia in temperate water.
Animal Facts
- Each eye moves separately making it easier for them to see food and predators.
- It is believed that Seahorses are able to cure illnesses such as asthma, impotence, high cholesterol and can also increase the balance of vital energy flow within the body.
Scientific Name
Hippocampus abdominalis
Classification
Animalia, Chordata, Actinopterygii, Syngnathiformes, Syngnathidae
Place of Birth
Around the coastline of New Zealand and Australia
Size
Up to 14 inches long and weighing less than 1 pound
Color
Their brown, yellow, grey, white, and orange markings, in bands and spots across their heads and bodies, allow them to blend into the weeds and sea grasses of their surroundings.
Other
They have large swollen bellies, and use their strong prehensile tails and oscillating dorsal fins to manuever.
Lifespan
The pot-bellied seahorse life span is unknown. Most estimates come from laboratory or aquarium observations. Known lifespans for seahorse species in captivity range from 6-10 years.
