Seahorse (also written Sea horse) is the name given to 45 species of small marine fishes in the genus Hippocampus. “Hippocampus ” comes from the ancient Greek hippokampos (Ἱππόκαμπος Hippókampos), own of Hippo (Ιππος híppos) which means “horse ” and Kampos (Κάμπος kámpos) which means “Marine monster “. Having a head and neck suggesting a horse, the Mackerels also have segmented bone armor, an upright posture and a curved prehensil tail.
Seahorses are mainly found in tropical surface waters and temperate salt water around the world, from approximately 45 ° S to 45 ° N. Living in protected areas such as plankton beds, estuaries, coral reefs and swamps of Mangroves. Four species are found in Pacific waters of North America to South America. In the Atlantic, H. erectus swings between Nova Scotia and Uruguay. H. Zosterae, known as the Dwarf Sea Horse, is located in the Bahamas.
Colonies were found in European waters, such as the estuary of the Thames.
Three species live in the Mediterranean Sea: H. Guttulatus (The long-snouted seahorse), H. Hippocampus (The Short-snouted horse pony), and H. Fuscus (The Sea Pony). These species form territories; The males remain within 1 m2 (11 sq ft) of habitat, while females fluctuate about 100 times.
Seahorses vary in size from 1.5 to 35.5 cm (0.6 to 14.0 in.). They are named for their equine appearance with folded necks and long snout heads followed by their distinctive trunk and tail. Although They are bony fish, they have no scales, but rather thin skin stretched over a series of bony plates, which are arranged in rings along their bodies. Each species has a different number of rings. The Armor of the bone plates also protects them from predators, and because of this outer skeleton, they have no more ribs. The Mackerels Sea Swim in the upright position, another feature not shared by their close relatives of the kite fish, which horizontally swimming. Swordfish are the only fishes that swim vertically. They swim in a vertical position propelling by the use of the dorsal fin. The pectoral fins located on each side of the head are used for maneuvering. They do not have the typical caudal fin of the fish. Its Prehensil tail can only be unlocked in the most extreme conditions. They are specialists in camouflage with the ability to grow and reabsorb spinous appendages, depending on their habitat.
Unusual among fish, a seahorse has a flexible and well-defined neck. It Is also a sport a crown-like column or horn in its head, called a “Coronet, ” which is different for each species.
The seahorses swim very poorly, quickly vibrating a dorsal fin and using pectoral fins (located behind their eyes) to steer. The slowest fish that moves in the world is H. Seahorse (the Dwarf Sea Horse), with a maximum speed of about 5 feet (1.5 m) per hour. Because They are poor swimmers, they are likely to be resting with their tails prehensiles wrapped around a stationary object. They Have long snouts, which use to suck food, and their eyes can move independently of themselves as those of a Chameleon.