Dive in to learn more about seahorses

 

What ocean animal has a tail like a monkey, looks like a horse and can use camouflage like an octopus? A seahorse!

Did you know that a seahorse is actually a fish? Seahorses are closely related to pipefishes and seadragons. But, unlike most other fish, they swim upright.

And, unlike most fish, seahorses are terrible swimmers. They are slow, awkward and have a pretty tough time getting around. Because of this, seahorses are commonly found using their tails to wrap around underwater plants and corals. For the most part, they stay in one place.

You might ask, then, how is it that seahorses have been found traveling long distances? Excellent question! Seahorses are known to be hitchhikers. They will use their monkey-like tails to attach themselves to objects like floating seaweed (and, unfortunately, marine debris), allowing them to travel much further than they could on their own. Clever, huh?

The unique shape of seahorses gives them a stealthy advantage over their prey. Their horse-shaped heads minimize water disturbances, allowing them to move through the water silently, creeping up on their unsuspecting target. Wild fact: in good conditions, seahorses have a predatory kill rate of around 90%. To put that into perspective, great white sharks can have a kill rate of approximately 50% and lions have a kill rate of about 20% when hunting alone. Well now, the seahorse has earned some serious bragging rights over the world’s top predators!

Seahorses need a clean, healthy ocean environment in order to live and thrive. If you’re wondering how you can help ensure this and aren’t sure where to begin, we have a few resources to get you started.

• Clean up with Clean Swell: Join our global movement to keep beaches, waterways and the ocean trash-free.
• Take action: Keep our ocean free from plastics, like discarded bags and bottles.
• Learn more: Visit Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas® program and see what we are doing.

We all need to do our part to keep the ocean free of marine debris for seahorses—and all the other marine life that call our ocean home.

For our ocean,

Michelle Frey
Senior Director, Digital Outreach
Ocean Conservancy