Longsnout seahorse
Swim, Snorkel, Dive, See, Meet, Watch the Longsnout seahorse
The Long-nosed Seahorse is about 10 cm long and, as its name suggests, has a long, thick snout.
It often attaches itself to the branches of the gorgonian sea fans. It is particularly mimetic with certain types of sponges. It swims either in open water or camouflaged under algae, up to about 50 meters.
The Long-nosed Seahorse is threatened by pollution and the destruction of its habitat. It is one of the major victims of the trade in dried animals for tourists. In Asia, it is used as a raw material in the pharmaceutical industry.
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Hippocampus reidi
Macro
Hippocampe à long nez, Longsnout seahorse, Slender seahorse
Food
It has a very small mouth that looks like a straw and which it uses to suck up zooplankton, fish eggs, and crustaceans. It is not a fast swimmer, so it has to blend into its environment to remain unseen by predators and approach its prey. Its eyes can move in two separate directions to find prey and look out for predators.
Breeding
The Long-nosed Seahorse reaches sexual maturity at around 9 months of age with a height of 8 cm. The male and female have a courtship ritual that lasts several days. The female gives her eggs to the male who retrieves them in her brood pouch where they will be fertilized and incubated.
The gestation period is about two weeks with variations according to water temperature. The juveniles, once expelled from the male's brood pouch, are about 8 mm in size.
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