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Marine Life: Seahorse

Seahorses

  • 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.




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    Did You Know?

    In Asia, some people believe that seahorses possess useful properties for making medicines.

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