All about seahorses. Interesting Seahorse Facts

The seahorse is a genus of small marine bony fish family of marine needles of the needle-shaped order. Number of species seahorses is around 50. unusual shape the body of the skate resembles a chess piece of a horse. Numerous long spikes and tape-like leathery outgrowths located on the body of the seahorse make it invisible among algae and inaccessible to predators. The sizes of seahorses range from 2 to 30 cm, depending on the species to which a particular individual belongs. An interesting feature seahorse is that their offspring is carried by the male.

The taxonomy of the seahorse is very confusing due to unique ability these fish change their appearance - color and even body shape. The closest relatives of seahorses are small fish - sea needles, which have much in common in the structure of the body with skates. However, the body shape and manner of movement in the water of sea "horses" is completely unusual.

The body of seahorses in the water is located unconventionally for fish - vertically or diagonally. The reason for this is the relatively large swim bladder, most of which is located in the upper body of the seahorse. It is impossible to confuse these graceful and colorful fish, similar to jewelry or toys, with any inhabitant of the water element.

The body of a seahorse is not covered with scales, but with bone plates. Barbed armor protects them from danger. The armor is so strong that it is almost impossible to break even a dried dead animal. However, in his shell, he is so light and fast that he literally soars in the water, and his body shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow - from orange to bluish blue, from lemon yellow to fiery red. By the brightness of the colors, it is just right to compare this fish with tropical birds and brightly colored coral reef fish.

These fish live in the seas of tropical and subtropical zones. Their range covers the entire Earth. Seahorses live in shallow waters among seaweed beds or among corals. These are sedentary and generally very inactive fish. Seahorses usually wrap their tail around a twig or tuft of coral. sea ​​grass and spend most of the time in this position. But large sea dragons do not know how to attach themselves to vegetation. For short distances they swim holding the body vertically, if they have to leave the "house", then they can swim in an almost horizontal position. They swim slowly. In general, the nature of these fish is surprisingly calm and meek, seahorses do not show aggression towards fellow tribesmen and other fish.

They feed on plankton. The smallest crustaceans they track, rolling their eyes funny. As soon as the prey approaches the miniature hunter, the seahorse puffs out its cheeks, creating negative pressure in the oral cavity and sucks the crustacean like a vacuum cleaner. Despite their small size, skates are big eaters and can indulge in gluttony up to 10 hours a day.

Seahorses have only three small fins: the dorsal fin helps them swim forward, and the two gill fins maintain vertical balance and serve as a rudder.

In a moment of danger, seahorses can significantly speed up their movement, flapping their fins up to 35 times per second (some scientists even call the number 70). Masterfully they succeed and vertical maneuvers. By changing the volume of the swim bladder, these fish move up and down in a spiral. However, seahorses are not capable of swimming fast - they are considered the record holders for the slowest swimming among known fish. Most of the time, the seahorse hangs motionless in the water, catching its tail on algae, coral, or even the neck of a relative.

Skates can ride "on horseback" on fish. Due to their curved tail, seahorses can travel long distances. They grab the perch's fins and hold on until the fish swims into the algae. And the skates grab their pair with their tail and swim in an embrace.

The eyes of seahorses are large, the vision is quite sharp. Their tail is crocheted to the stomach, and their heads are decorated with horns of various shapes.

The eyes of skates move independently from one another. The organ of vision in a seahorse is similar to the eyes of a chameleon. One eye of these fish can see forward and the second- to see what is happening behind.

Seahorses have the ability to change the color of their body, which allows them to skillfully disguise themselves in thickets and among the bottom landscape. A lurking seahorse is almost impossible to see in ambush unless you look very closely. The ability to disguise is necessary for seahorses both for protection and for successful hunting, because they are active predators.

In the seas washing the shores of Russia, seahorses are represented by only two or three species - the Black Sea seahorse: found in the Black and Seas of Azov, as well as the Japanese seahorse living in the Sea of ​​Japan. Occasionally in the Black Sea you can meet a long-snouted seahorse, common in the seas of the Mediterranean basin. For permanent residence, seahorses choose quieter places; they do not like rough currents and noisy tidal waves.

Seahorses are monogamous fish, they live in married couples, but can periodically change partners. Characteristically, these fish bear eggs, with males and females changing roles. AT mating season in females, a tube-shaped ovipositor grows, and in the male, thickened folds in the tail area form a bag. Before spawning, partners perform a long mating dance.

The female lays the eggs in the male's pouch and he incubates them for about 2 weeks. Newborn fry exit the pouch through a narrow opening. sea ​​dragons pouches do not have and hatch eggs on the tail stalk. The fertility of different species ranges from 5 to 1500 fry. Newborn fish are completely independent and move away from the parent pair.

Among the seahorses there are also very small representatives, a couple of centimeters in size, there are also, in a way, giants up to 30 centimeters long. The smallest species, the pygmy seahorse, is found in the Gulf of Mexico. Its length does not exceed four centimeters. In Black and mediterranean seas you can meet a long-faced or spotted seahorse, the length of which reaches 12-18 centimeters. The most famous representatives of the species Hippocampus kuda, which lives off the coast of Indonesia. Seahorses of this species, their length is about 14 centimeters, are painted brightly and variegatedly, some are speckled, others are striped. The largest seahorses are found near Australia.

The life expectancy of seahorses is, on average, 3-4 years. The extreme survivability of these fish is known - being taken out of the water, they can live for several hours and return to normal life if they are released into their native element.

natural enemies seahorses have few - its body is extremely bony and covered with bony formations. Therefore, it is hunted only by a large land crab, which is able to digest such indigestible prey. Seahorses are not dangerous to humans. This is a peaceful harmless fish, besides it is very small.

Man himself is a great danger to seahorses. Today, seahorses are on the verge of extinction - their population is rapidly declining. 30 species of seahorses out of 32 known to science are listed in the Red Book. There are many reasons for this, and one of them is the massive capture of skates off the coast of Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and the Philippines. Exotic appearance fish doomed them to the fact that people use them as souvenirs and gifts.

A separate point in the decline in the number of seahorse populations is the fact that the taste of these fish is extremely appreciated by gourmets. Liver and caviar of seahorses are considered a delicacy, although they have some laxative properties. A seahorse dish costs up to $800 per serving in some restaurants.

Great amount seahorses (according to some estimates - up to 80 million horses per year) is used in countries Pacific region Asia and Australia for production medical preparations and potions. These medicines are used as pain relievers for coughs and asthma, and also as a remedy for impotence. AT last years This Far Eastern "Viagra" has become popular in Europe. O healing properties ah, seahorse meat has been known to people since ancient times. Seahorses have been used to prepare various medicines and potions in many countries.

Keeping seahorses in aquariums is not very easy, they are demanding on food and prone to disease, but it is very interesting to watch them.

Seahorses can sing. During the period of mating games, they perform peculiar dances around their partners and partners and accompany themselves with clicking sounds, the pace of which can change.

Based on anatomical, molecular and genetic studies, the seahorse has been identified as a highly modified pipefish. Fossilized remains of seahorses are quite rare. The most studied fossils of the species Hippocampus guttulatus (synonym - H. ramulosus) from the formations of the Marecchia River (Italian province of Rimini). These findings are dated to the Lower Pliocene (about 3 million years ago). The earliest seahorse fossils are considered to be two Middle Miocene needle-like species Hippocampus sarmaticus and Hippocampus slovenicus found in Slovenia. Their age is estimated at 13 million years. According to the molecular clock method, the species of seahorses and needlefish split in the Late Oligocene. There is a theory that this genus appeared in response to the emergence of large areas of shallow water, which was caused by tectonic events. The appearance of vast shallows led to the spread of algae, and, as a result, the animals living in this environment.

The message about the seahorse can be used in preparation for the lesson. The story about the seahorse for children can be supplemented with interesting facts.

Seahorse Report

Seahorses belong to the class bony fish. In total there are about 50 species. Sizes of seahorses can be from 2 to 30 cm, depending on the species. A typical seahorse can live up to 5 years.

Their body shape is similar to a chess piece of a horse. Numerous long spikes and tape-like leathery outgrowths located on the body of the seahorse make it invisible among algae and inaccessible to predators.

The habitat of seahorses is tropical and subtropical seas.

Seahorse description

The head of these fish looks like a horse, but there are no scales. Their body is covered with hard bony plates. With its tail bent forward, the monkey-like seahorse clings to the stalks of sea grass. The eyes of the seahorse rotate in any direction, and if one eye looks to the right, the other at this time may stare at something to the left. This is very convenient for the skate, as it can simultaneously inspect the algae from all sides in search of food and follow the enemies, who themselves are not averse to having lunch with them.

The seahorse does not like to swim and spends most of its life clinging to algae with its tail. It swims slowly and only in search of food, during the wedding and escaping from enemies.

It is interesting to watch how the seahorse swims. A large swim bladder located in the head of the skate helps it to maintain an upright position. It does not move horizontally, but jerks up and down, moving diagonally in the direction of the target.

What do seahorses eat?

Seahorses lead a benthic lifestyle, feeding on plankton and small invertebrates.

seahorse breeding

Also, these animals have an unusual way of reproduction. When the eggs reach the right stage, the females begin to compete with each other for male attention. Having achieved location, the female lays part of the eggs in a special bag, which is located on the male's abdomen. There, the eggs are fertilized. The male carries the eggs until the young are born. They can be from 2 to 1000 individuals. If many cubs are born, their father may even die. During the breeding season, the fry hatch every 4 weeks. Immediately after birth, they are left to their own devices.

Interesting facts about seahorses

• The horse is very bony, so it is only hunted by the large land crab, which can digest it.
• The eyes of seahorses are similar to those of chameleons and can move independently of each other;
• The seahorse is a master of disguise. Their scales can become "invisible" - merge with the environment;
• Their mouth works like a vacuum cleaner - they suck up plankton to eat.

We hope that the above information about the seahorse has helped you. And you can leave your report about the seahorse through the comment form.

One appearance of these fish sets up pleasant associations with childhood, toys and fairy tales. The horse swims in an upright position and tilts its head so gracefully that, looking at it, it is impossible not to compare it with some kind of small magic horse.

It is covered not with scales, but with bone plates. However, in his shell, he is so light and fast that he literally soars in the water, and his body shimmers with all colors - from orange to gray-blue, from lemon yellow to fiery red. By the brightness of the colors, it is just right to compare this fish with tropical birds.

Seahorses inhabit coastal waters tropical and subtropical seas. But they are also found in the North Sea, for example, off the southern coast of England. Choose quieter places; they don't like rough water.

Among them there are dwarfs the size of a little finger, and there are giants under thirty centimeters. The smallest species - Hippocampus zosterae (pygmy seahorse) - is found in the Gulf of Mexico. Its length does not exceed four centimeters, and the body is very hardy.

In the Black and Mediterranean Seas, you can meet the long-snouted, spotted Hippocampus guttulatus, whose length reaches 12-18 centimeters. The most famous representatives of the species Hippocampus kuda, which lives off the coast of Indonesia. Seahorses of this species (their length is 14 centimeters) are painted brightly and colorfully, some are speckled, others are striped. The largest seahorses are found near Australia.

Whether they are dwarfs or giants, seahorses resemble each other like brothers: a trusting look, capricious lips and an elongated "horse" muzzle. Their tail is hooked to the stomach, and horns adorn their heads. It is impossible to confuse these graceful and colorful fish, similar to jewelry or toys, with any inhabitant of the water element.

How does pregnancy proceed in males?

Even now, zoologists find it difficult to say how many species of seahorses there are. Possibly 30-32 species, although this figure is subject to change. The fact is that seahorses are difficult to classify. Their appearance is too changeable. Yes, and they know how to hide in such a way that a needle thrown into a haystack will envy.

When Amanda Vincent of Montreal's McGill University began studying seahorses in the late 1980s, she was annoyed: "At first, I couldn't even notice those subs." Masters of mimicry, in a moment of danger, they change their color, repeating the color of surrounding objects. Therefore, they are easily mistaken for algae. Many seahorses, like gutta-percha babies, can even change the shape of their bodies. They have small growths and nodules. Some seahorses can be difficult to distinguish from corals.

This plasticity, this “color music” of the body helps them not only to fool enemies, but also to seduce partners. The German zoologist Rüdiger Verhasselt shares his observations: “I had a pink-red male in my aquarium. I put a bright yellow female with a red dot on him. The male began to take care of the new fish and after a few days turned the same color as her - even red specks appeared.

In order to watch enthusiastic pantomimes and colorful confessions, one must go underwater early in the morning. In their confessions, they follow a funny etiquette: they nod their heads to greet a friend, while clinging to neighboring plants with their tails. Sometimes they freeze, getting closer in a “kiss”. Or whirl in a stormy love dance, and the males now and then inflate their stomachs.

The date is over - and the fish spread out to the sides. Adyu! See you next time! Seahorses usually live in monogamous pairs, loving each other to death, which they often have in the form of nets. After the death of a partner, his half misses, but after a few days or weeks he finds a roommate again. Seahorses settled in an aquarium suffer especially from the loss of a partner. And it happens that they die one after another, unable to bear the grief.

What is the secret of such affection? In the kindred of souls? Here's how biologists explain it: by regularly walking and caressing each other, seahorses synchronize their biological clocks. This helps them choose the most opportune moment for procreation. Then their meeting is delayed for several hours, or even days. They glow with excitement and whirl in a dance in which, as we remember, males inflate their stomachs. It turns out that the male has a wide fold on the abdomen, where the female lays her eggs.

Surprisingly, in seahorses, the male bears the offspring, having previously fertilized the eggs in the abdominal bag.

But this behavior is not as exotic as it might seem. Other species of fish are also known, for example, cichlids, in which males hatch caviar. But only in seahorses are we dealing with a process similar to pregnancy. The tissue on the inside of the brood pouch thickens in the male, as in the mammalian uterus. This tissue becomes a kind of placenta; it binds the father's body to the embryos and nourishes them. This process is controlled by the hormone prolactin, which stimulates lactation in humans - the formation of mother's milk.

With the onset of pregnancy, walking through the underwater forests stops. The male stays in an area of ​​about one square meter. In order not to compete with him in obtaining food, the female delicately swims to the side.

After a month and a half, "birth" occurs. The seahorse presses against the kelp stalk and inflates its belly again. Sometimes a whole day passes before the first fry slips out of the bag. Then the young will start to emerge in pairs, faster and faster, and soon the bag will expand so much that dozens of fry will swim out of it at the same time. Number of newborns different types Miscellaneous: Some seahorses breed up to 1600 babies, while others have only two fry.

Sometimes the "birth" is so difficult that the males die of exhaustion. In addition, if for some reason the embryos die, then the male who carried them will also die.

Evolution cannot explain the origin of the seahorse's reproductive functions. The whole childbearing process is too "unorthodox." Indeed, the structure of the seahorse appears to be a mystery if you try to explain it as the result of evolution. As one major expert said a few years ago: “In relation to evolution, the seahorse is in the same category as the platypus. Since it is a mystery that confuses and destroys all theories trying to explain the origin of this fish! Recognize the Divine Creator, and everything is explained.

What do seahorses do if they don't flirt and expect offspring? One thing is certain: they do not shine with success in swimming, which is not surprising given their constitution. They have; only three small fins: the dorsal helps to swim forward, and the two gill fins maintain vertical balance and serve as a rudder. In a moment of danger, seahorses can briefly speed up their movement, flapping their fins up to 35 times per second (some scientists even call the number "70"). They are much better at vertical maneuvers. By changing the volume of the swim bladder, these fish move up and down in a spiral.

However, most of the time, the seahorse hangs motionless in the water, catching its tail on algae, coral, or even the neck of a relative. It seems that he is ready to hang around doing nothing all day. However, with visible laziness, he manages to catch a lot of prey - tiny crustaceans and fry. It has only recently been possible to observe how this happens.

The seahorse does not rush for prey, but waits until it swims up to it. Then he draws in the water, swallowing careless small fry. Everything happens so fast that you can't see it with the naked eye. However, scuba divers say that when you get close to a seahorse, you sometimes hear smacking. The appetite of this fish is amazing: barely born, the seahorse manages to swallow about four thousand miniature shrimps in the first ten hours of life.

In total, he is destined to live, if he's lucky, four or five years. Enough time to leave behind millions of descendants. It seems that with such numbers, the prosperity of seahorses is ensured. However, it is not. Out of a thousand fry, only two survive on average. All the rest themselves fall into someone's mouth. However, in this whirlwind of births and deaths, seahorses have been afloat for forty million years. Only human intervention can destroy this species.

According to the message World Fund wildlife, the number of seahorses is rapidly declining. Thirty species of these fish are included in the Red Book, that is, almost all species known to science. The ecology is primarily responsible for this. The oceans are turning into a world dump. Its inhabitants degenerate and die.

Half a century ago, the Chesapeake Bay was a narrow, long bay off the coast of American states Maryland and Virginia (its length reaches 270 kilometers) - was considered a real paradise for seahorses. Now you can hardly find them there. Alison Scarratt, director of the National Aquarium in Baltimore, estimates that ninety percent of the algae in the bay have died in that half-century, due to water pollution. But algae were natural environment seahorse habitats.

Another reason for the decline is the massive capture of seahorses off the coast of Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and the Philippines. According to Amanda Vincent, at least 26 million of these fish are harvested every year. A small part of them then ends up in aquariums, and most die. For example, from these cute fish, drying them, they make souvenirs - brooches, key rings, belt buckles. By the way, for the sake of beauty, they bend their tail back, giving the body the shape of the letter S.

However, most of the seahorses caught - about twenty million according to the World Wildlife Fund - end up with pharmacists in China, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia and Singapore. The largest transshipment point for the sale of this "medical raw material" is Hong Kong. From here it is sold at thirty superfluous countries including India and Australia. Here, a kilo of seahorses costs about $1,300.

From these dried fish, crushed and mixed with other substances, for example, with the bark of trees, drugs are prepared that are just as popular in Japan, Korea, China as we do - aspirin or analgin. They help with asthma, coughs, headaches and especially impotence. AT recent times this Far Eastern "Viagra" became popular in Europe.

However, even ancient authors knew that medicines could be prepared from seahorses. So, Pliny the Elder (24-79) wrote that in case of hair loss, one should use an ointment prepared from a mixture of dried seahorses, marjoram oil, resin and lard. In 1754, the English Gentlemen's Magazine advised breastfeeding mothers to take seahorse extract "for better milk flow." Of course, old recipes may cause a smile, but spends the same now World Organization health research on the "healing properties of the seahorse".

Meanwhile, Amanda Vincent and a number of biologists are advocating a complete ban on the uncontrolled harvesting and trade of seahorses, trying to end predatory fishing, as whaling was done in its time. The situation is that in Asia, seahorses are caught mainly by poachers. To end this, the researcher created the Project Seahorse organization back in 1986, which is trying to protect seahorses in Vietnam, Hong Kong and the Philippines, as well as to establish a civilized trade in them. Things are especially successful on the Philippine island of Khandayan.

The inhabitants of the local village of Handumon have been harvesting seahorses for centuries. However, in just a decade, from 1985 to 1995, their catches dropped by almost 70 percent. Therefore, the seahorse rescue program proposed by Amanda Vincent was perhaps the only hope for the fishermen.

To begin with, it was decided to create a protected area with total area thirty-three hectares, where fishing was completely banned. There, all the seahorses were counted and even numbered, putting a collar on them. From time to time, divers looked into this water area and checked if the “lazy homebodies”, seahorses, had swum away from here.

We agreed that males with full brood bags will not be caught outside the protected area. If they were caught in the net, they were thrown back into the sea. In addition, environmentalists have tried to re-plant the mangroves and underwater forests of algae - the natural shelters of these fish.

Since then, the number of seahorses and other fish in the vicinity of Khandumon has stabilized. Especially a lot of seahorses inhabit the protected area. In turn, in other Philippine villages, making sure that the neighbors are doing well, they also follow this example. Three more protected areas have been created in which seahorses are bred.

They are also grown on special farms. However, there are problems here. So, scientists do not yet know what diet is best for seahorses.

In some zoos - in Stuttgart, Berlin, Basel, as well as in the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the California Aquarium, the breeding of these fish is going well. Perhaps they can be saved.

In the seas surrounding Russia, there are only two species of seahorses (although the species diversity of seahorses is high, only different seas There are 32 species of seahorses in the world. These are the Black Sea seahorse and the Japanese seahorse. The first lives in the Black and Azov seas, and the second in the Japanese.

“Our” seahorses are small and do not have chic long outgrowths all over their bodies, like, for example, a rag-picker that lives in warm seas and masquerading as thickets of sargasso algae. Their shell modestly performs protective function: It is very strong and usually painted to match the background color.

The intention of the Creator is clearly and clearly manifested in the seahorse. But the fossil record presents another problem for those who believe in evolution. To defend the idea that the sea horse is the product of evolution over millions of years, proponents of this theory need fossils showing gradual development lower form animal life into a more complex form of a seahorse. But much to the chagrin of evolutionists, “no fossilized seahorses have been discovered.”

As with many creatures that fill the seas, skies and land, there is no link for the seahorse that can connect it with any other form of life. Like all major types of living creatures, the complex seahorse was created suddenly, as the book of Genesis tells us.

Many have seen these marine life on TV or in aquariums, but not everyone realizes how surprising interesting facts about a seahorse can be. These beautiful representatives of fish amaze with their unique properties. However, in wild nature very hard to watch them. Moreover, the number of seahorses has recently declined sharply due to the destruction of their habitats.

1. Seahorses are the only fish that have a neck.. Scientists have proven that seahorses are relatives of needlefish. True, during the evolution of their body has changed a lot. Unlike other fish, skates are located vertically in the water due to the fact that the swim bladder is distributed throughout the body. The S-shape of the body allows skates to successfully hunt from cover. They freeze among algae or reefs, and when a tiny larva swims by, they capture it with a turn of their heads.
2. Skates can ride "on horseback" on fish. Due to their curved tail, seahorses can travel long distances. They grab the perch's fins and hold on until the fish swims into the algae. And the skates grab their pair with their tail and swim in an embrace.
3. The eyes of skates move independently of one another.. The organ of vision in a seahorse is similar to the eyes of a chameleon. One eye of these fish can look forward, and the other can see what is happening behind.
4. Disguise Skates. To avoid numerous enemies, seahorses allow the ability to change color depending on the location. Just like chameleons, seahorses match the color of their scales to the color of coral or algae, making them almost invisible.
5. Seahorses have a great appetite. They don't have teeth, they don't even have a stomach. In order not to die, these fish have to eat constantly. With their proboscises, skates draw in plankton, small larvae and crustaceans. And it happens so fast that it's hard to track.
6. Almost no one eats seahorses. These small fish can become the prey of other predators, perhaps by accident. They are almost entirely composed of bones, spines and scales, so there are few hunters for them, except perhaps rays and large crabs.
7. Seahorses are stressed. Stress is often a mortal danger for seahorses. These fish do well in clean, calm water. Strong pitching at sea leads to the exhaustion of their forces. And with a sudden change of place of residence, they may even die. Therefore, it is difficult to breed skates in aquariums; in an artificial environment, they do not take root well.
8. The female chooses the male. We can say that seahorses have a matriarchy. After all, it is the females who decide which of the males to choose as a spouse.
9. Seahorses perform mating dances. For several days, the female performs a kind of dance together with the alleged chosen one, rising to the surface of the water and sinking to the bottom, intertwining her tails. If the male falls behind the bride, she will most likely leave him and look for another, more profitable party.
10. Male seahorses are "pregnant". If the female has chosen a suitable male for herself, then she remains faithful to him until the end of her life. It is to the male that she entrusts the gestation of eggs and care for the offspring. The female transfers the eggs to a special bag on the body of the male. There, future skates grow for a month and a half. And then they are born full-fledged fish. One male can simultaneously produce from 5 to 1.5 thousand fry. However, male seahorses still cannot be called pregnant. After all, fry are not born in their body, but only remain until full maturation. This is the function of protecting future offspring.

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11. Skates are fragile, but tenacious. One out of a hundred born seahorse fry survives to full-fledged adults. This is a very high figure for fish. It is thanks to this indicator that seahorses have not died out so far.

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12. The horse is on the coat of arms of the city of Zaozersk. For several years in a row on the coat of arms Russian city Zaozersk (Murmansk region) depicted a seahorse. The image was supposed to symbolize sea ​​power Northern Fleet. But since seahorses don't live in the waters Barents Sea, the image of the skate was replaced with the image of a dolphin. It should be noted that seahorses are inhabitants of tropical and subtropical salt water bodies. And the largest seas of Russia are not included in this list.

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13. 30 types of skates are listed in the Red Book. And science knows only 32 species of these fish. There are several reasons for the extinction of seahorses. But almost all of them are related to human activities. In Thailand, Australia, Malaysia, skates are caught in order to dry and use as souvenirs. In oriental medicine, they are used to prepare medicines for asthma and skin diseases. In addition, the habitats of seahorses are polluted or completely destroyed by humans. And the plankton useful for skates is often eaten by jellyfish, which are beneficially affected by climate change.
14. Seahorses are a delicacy. A dish using the liver and eyes of seahorses is served in the most expensive restaurants in the world. These parts of skates are considered very tasty and healthy. The cost of a delicacy is an average of $ 800 per serving. And in China, fried skates are served on sticks.

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15. Skates live on Earth for 40 million years. Despite the fact that fossilized seahorses are rare, scientists have proven that these fish have existed for several tens of millions of years. They appeared at a time when, as a result of tectonic shifts in the earth's crust, shallows formed in the oceans and algae began to spread.

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Avid aquarists like to breed a wide variety of exotic fish and bright, unusual animals that attract with their non-standard, bizarre proportions and interesting, sometimes playful behavior. And none, and even can not be compared with the brightest inhabitants of sea waters - seahorses.

The seahorse is one of the most outlandish representatives of the aquarium world. Despite their bizarre forms, all seahorses are included in the subgroup of bony marine fish, the needle-shaped order.

It is interesting! There are only one males on the planet who themselves bear their future offspring - seahorses.

Taking a closer look, you yourself will notice the striking resemblance of these small bony fish with a chess piece. And how a seahorse moves interestingly in the water, bends all over and very proudly carries its superbly folded head!

Despite the apparent difficulty, keeping a seahorse is practically the same as keeping any other inhabitants of the aquarium world. But, before acquiring one or several individuals, one should take into account many factors, without which the life of this bright and interesting "sea needle" may not be as long as we would like.

Seahorses: interesting facts

The existence of the seahorse was known for a thousand years before our era. In ancient Roman mythology, it is told that the god of water flows and the sea, Neptune, whenever he went to check his possessions, harnessed to the chariot " sea ​​igloo”, very similar to a horse. Therefore, for sure, Lord Neptune cannot be huge if he moved on small thirty-centimeter skates. And, seriously, it is very rare in nature today to find marine needle-shaped ones that would reach a length of 30 cm. Basically, “horses” barely reach twelve centimeters.

In our time, the existence of the fossilized remains of the ancestors of the seahorse is already known. In the course of a study at the genetic level, scientists have identified the similarity of a seahorse with a needle fish.

What are seahorses

Today, marine aquarists breed seahorses that range in length from 12 millimeters to twenty centimeters. However, most of all, aquarists prefer to care for hippocampus erectus, those. standard seahorses.

Seahorses were specially named so, since the head, chest, neck are completely similar to horse parts of the body. At the same time, they differ from fish in a different physique. The horse's head of these individuals is set in a completely different way than that of fish - in relation to the body, it is located at ninety degrees. What is even more interesting, these marine fish have eyes looking in different directions.

And these little, cute sea ​​creatures they swim not horizontally, but vertically and have scales all over their body, strong armor- bone colorful, iridescent plates. The shell of these marine needle-shaped specimens is "steel" that it cannot be pierced.

I would also like to mention interesting property curled, long ponytail sea ​​fish in the form of a spiral. If seahorses feel that a predator is nearby, they very quickly run away to shelter, algae, which they skillfully cling to with their spiral tail and manage to hide.

It is interesting! Feeling that danger is imminent, marine fish - skates cling to corals or algae with their long tails and remain for a long time motionless, hanging upside down.

Despite such a cute appearance, seahorses are classified as predatory fish, as they feed on shrimp and marine crustaceans.

The seahorse has the ability to camouflage itself. They mimic like chameleons, taking on the color of the place where they stop. Basically, these marine fish like to hide where there are more saturated, bright colors in order to avoid encountering predators. And with the help of bright colors, the male attracts the attention of the female, which he really liked. To please the female, he can even “put on” her color.

Seahorses, despite their numbers, are considered rare fish, so their thirty subspecies are listed in the Red Book. The problem is that from year to year the world ocean turns into a universal polluted, garbage "dump", because of which corals and algae die en masse, and these photosynthetic organisms have vital importance for seahorses.

And yet, the seahorse itself has long been a valuable animal. The Chinese fish these fish en masse, as they believe that they treat any disease. In many European countries of the dead seahorses automatically become raw materials for the manufacture of various souvenirs.

Keeping seahorses at home

Sea bony horses are unusual, bright, funny and very beautiful creatures. Maybe, feeling their beauty and grandeur, they are very “naughty” when they fall into captivity. And to make these fish feel good, even experienced aquarists should try very hard. For them must be created natural environment habitats, so that the animals feel there in the same way as in sea ​​water. It is very important to follow temperature regime aquariums. Seahorses will feel comfortable in cool water with a temperature of twenty-three to twenty-five degrees Celsius, but no more. In a hot period, be sure to install a split system above the aquarium, you can simply turn on the fan. From hot air, these little creatures can suffocate even in warm water.

Before placing purchased skates in an aquarium with ordinary water, check its quality: it should not contain phosphates or ammonia. The maximum concentration of nitrates in water is allowed at ten ppm. Also, don't forget to install your favorite seahorse algae and corals in the aquarium. Surface grottoes made of artificial material will also look beautiful.

So, you have taken care of the seahorse house. It will also be important for them to take care of nutrition, because these beautiful inhabitants seas love to eat meat and exotic often and a lot. On the day, the seahorse should eat at least four to five times, getting the meat of shrimp and crustaceans. To do this, you can buy frozen invertebrate molluscs and crustaceans. Seahorses love Mysis shrimp and will happily eat moths and even daphnia.

• All seahorses suffer from limited gas exchange due to poor performance of the gills. That's why constant water filtration and oxygen supply is vital necessary process for seahorses.
• Seahorses do not have stomachs, so in order to keep themselves healthy and not lose energy balance they need a lot of food.
• Seahorses do not have scales, which is why they easily succumb to any infection, especially bacterial ones. An ecosystem moderator in an enclosed space should frequently inspect the seahorse's torso, which may be damaged.
• Seahorses have interesting mouths - proboscis, with the help of which these creatures suck in caught prey at such a speed that they can swallow a dozen spineless mollusks at a time.

seahorse breeding

Seahorses are skillful gentlemen! They begin their courtship with a courtship dance, which they demonstrate to the female. If everything worked out, the fish touch each other, wrap themselves around and look closely. This is how seahorses get to know each other. After numerous "hugs", the female begins to throw a large army of caviar into the male's purse with the help of her sexual nipple. Transparent fry of the seahorse are born after 30 days in an amount of from twenty to two hundred individuals. The fry are born - males!

It is interesting! In nature, there is a subspecies of males of an outstanding seahorse, capable of carrying over a thousand fry.

It is noteworthy that it is very difficult for a male seahorse to give offspring, after giving birth, after a day or even two, he rests for a long time at the bottom of the reservoir. And only the male, not the female, takes care of her babies for a long time, which, in case of imminent danger, can again hide in their father's brood pouch.

Seahorse Aquarium Neighbors

Seahorses are unpretentious and mysterious animals. They can easily get along with other fish and invertebrates. For them, only small fish, very slow and cautious, are suitable as neighbors. Such neighbors for skates can be fish - gobies and blennies. Among the invertebrates, one can single out the snail - an excellent aquarium cleaner, as well as not stinging corals.

It is also possible to place live stones in aquariums with sea needles, the main thing is that they are completely healthy and are not pathogens.

Where to buy a seahorse

In any online store of aquariums and pet stores, there are live pictures and photos of different types of seahorses that will help you choose the most ideal option.

It is here or in any pet store in your city that you can buy a seahorse at the best prices. In the future, many pet stores offer significant discounts for their regular customers, ranging from 10% or more when ordering a batch of seahorses.