Critter Guide :: Marine Life :: Seahorse Male seahorses are famous for performing the traditionally female role. The male has a pouch where the female inserts her eggs. He then fertilizes the eggs and carries the babies. The male seahorse goes through labor for a few hours, giving birth to anywhere from 20 to 400 babies! Seahorses have great camouflage abilities and can change color when they see a predator or when they react to another seahorse. Seahorses are believed to have been around for 40 million years! Where do they live? Seahorses are found in many oceans of the world, with an abundance of them in Australia. What do they eat? Seahorses slurp down baby fish, plankton, and other minute creatures through their mouths. They do not have teeth or stomachs! Critter Fact Seahorse eyes do not work together like human eyes, so seahorses can actually see in two different directions at the same time. Did You Know? In Asia, some people believe that seahorses possess useful properties for making medicines.

© 2005 Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. close window