Any of the 46 species of tiny marine fish in the genus Hippocampus is known as a seahorse. The term “hippocampus” is derived from the Ancient Greek hippokampos, which is derived from hippos, which means “horse,” and kampos, which means “sea monster.” Seahorses have a horse-like head and neck, as well as segmented bone armour, an erect stance, and a coiled prehensile tail. They belong to the Syngnathidae family, which also includes pipefish and seadragons (Phycodurus and Phyllopteryx).

Seahorses may be found in shallow tropical and temperate salt water from roughly 45°S to 45°N all over the world. Seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs, and mangroves are all good places for them to live. From North America to South America, four species can be found in Pacific seas. Hippocampus erectus may be found from Nova Scotia to Uruguay in the Atlantic. The dwarf seahorse, H. zosterae, may be found in the Bahamas.

In European waterways, like as the Thames Estuary, colonies have been discovered.

The Mediterranean Sea is home to three species of seahorse: H. guttulatus (long-snouted seahorse), H. hippocampus (short-snouted seahorse), and H. fuscus (short-snouted seahorse) (the sea pony). Males keep within 1 m2 (10 sq ft) of habitat, whereas females cover roughly a hundred times that.

The size of a seahorse can range from 1.5 to 35.5 cm (58 to 14 in). Their horse look, with bent necks, large snouted heads, and a unique trunk and tail, has earned them the moniker. They don’t have scales, despite being bony fish, and instead have thin skin stretched over a set of bone plates organized in rings throughout their body. There are a different number of rings for each species. They are additionally protected from predators by their bony plates armor, and they no longer have ribs due to their outer skeleton.

Seahorses swim upright, propelling themselves with their dorsal fin, a trait they share with their pipefish cousins, who swim horizontally. The only other fish that swim vertically are razorfish. The pectoral fins, which are positioned behind their eyes on each side of the head, are utilized for steering. They don’t have the caudal fin that fish have. Their prehensile tail is made up of square-like rings that can only be released under severe circumstances. They are good at camouflaging, and depending on their environment, they may develop and resorb spiky appendages.

A seahorse has a flexible, well-defined neck, which is unusual among fish. It also has a “coronet,” a crown-like spine or horn on its head that is unique to each species.

Seahorses swim very slowly, fluttering a dorsal fin and steering using pectoral fins. H. zosterae (the dwarf seahorse) is the world’s slowest-moving fish, having a peak speed of around 1.5 m (5 ft) per hour. They are most likely to be seen resting with their prehensile tail coiled around a stationary item because they are poor swimmers. They have lengthy snouts that they use to suck up food, and their eyes, like those of a chameleon, can move independently of one another.

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