After a while, small life spurted out from above the nursery bag, these little seahorses were only small in size, but the shape was very similar to that of adult seahorses. This is a very common thing, but I tell you, the little seahorse came out of Daddy's belly?
About Hippocampus:
The seahorse is a collective term for several small species of fish in the order Thynchosaurus, a small marine animal named after the horse's head shape. There are 54 known species of seahorses in the world, and at least 13 species of coastal seahorses in China, which are the country's second-class protected animals.
(The hippocampus has the following characteristics)
1, "head like a horse, tail like a monkey", the angle of the head and body bending is close to ninety degrees, the cross-section of the tail is square, can absorb the maximum impact to protect the spine.
2. The eyes can move independently, close to a 360-degree all-round perspective, and can easily find prey
3, can change the body color, better into the surrounding environment
4. The male seahorse has a nursery bag, which is located on the ventral side of the tail of the male, which is also the biggest basis for distinguishing between male and female
5. The dorsal fin swings in an upright swimming posture, and the male seahorse forages in an area of 1 square meters, while the female forages forage range is more than 100 times that of the male
6, the digestive capacity of the hippocampus is not developed, so it needs a lot of food, and can prey about 3,000 prey a day
(Hippocampus distribution)
The seahorse of the mainland is mainly distributed in Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan, Guangxi and Hainan coastal areas, generally living in the sea area of 10 to 33 °C, the most suitable water temperature is 26-29 °C, like to gather in the seabed, mangroves, coral reefs and estuaries with abundant seagrass.
The hippocampus gives birth to males:
Because of its peculiar body structure and reproductive strategy of "male parenting", the seahorse is regarded as the flagship species of marine life evolution and species conservation research.
During breeding from April to July, male and female seahorses wrap their tails around each other and then dance until they become darker.
The female hippocampus will release the eggs into the male's nursery bag, and the male will be responsible for fertilizing the eggs, and then put the fertilized eggs in the broodstock sac until the young hippocampus develops and form, a process that takes about a month.
Males generally give birth to 150-2000 young hippocampus each time, of which only about 5% can grow up smoothly, while the young hippocampus can sexually mature in 8-10 months.
The male seahorse's brood pouch is a complex organ that regulates temperature, blood flow and salinity of water during incubation, allowing the cubs to survive better.
Why the hippocampus swims upright:
Upright swimming is the secret weapon of the seahorse to protect itself, most fish swim horizontally, in the seabed overgrown with seagrass, it is difficult to integrate with the surrounding environment, natural enemies are easy to find them.
The seahorse is also a kind of fish, but it has found a solution in the evolutionary process, that is, swimming upright, which can make the seahorse better integrate into the vertical aquatic grass environment and survive better.
Main members of the hippocampal community:
Large-bellied hippocampus:
The large-bellied seahorse, also known as the puffed-bellied seahorse, is the largest known seahorse, distributed in the waters of Australia and New Zealand in the southwest Pacific Region, and inhabits depths of up to 109 meters.
Paprika diced seahorse:
The babbitt seahorse is relatively small, with a maximum height of only 2.4 cm, and has excellent camouflage ability, so it is difficult to detect, and is distributed in the waters of the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean, from southern Sumatra to New Caledonia, from Tokyo, Japan to the southern edge of australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Tiger-tailed hippocampus:
Tiger-tailed seahorses usually appear in pairs, are nocturnal, and can be used as ornamental fish, inhabiting depths of up to 20 m and body lengths of up to 18.7 cm
Crown Seahorse:
The crowned seahorse is a small, warm-water fish that lives in shallow seas, distributed along the shallow coasts of Hokkaido, Japan, to Kyushu and southern Korea; It is mainly distributed in the Bohai Sea in China, and it is rare in the Yellow Sea
New Caledonia Spiny Hippocampus:
The New Caledonian spiny hippocampus is up to 9.7 cm long and inhabits seagrass beds , distributed in the waters of New Caledonia in the western Pacific , with a depth of about 6 m
Dennis Bean Ding Seahorse:
Dennis bean-ding seahorses generally inhabit gorgonian corals at depths of 10-100 meters, with a solid orange or orange body color, dark spots, high appearance, and widely distributed in the western Pacific Ocean
Flower Hippocampus:
The flower hippocampus generally inhabits areas of seagrass, coral, algae and soft-bottom substrate, with a depth range of 2-30 meters, and is mainly distributed near the Japanese islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu
Pipe hippocampus:
The tube seahorse inhabits the sea of abundant algae or seagrass, has strong adaptability, weak swimming ability, and body color changes with the environment, and is distributed in the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan and some Pacific islands.
Population status of hippocampus:
In commercial fishing, a large part of the catch is starfish, sea urchins, seahorses and other by-catches, resulting in many seahorses being caught, plus the seahorse trading market is large and difficult to track, so there are many people who profit from it.
Not only that, but the seagrass beds and coral reefs where seahorses inhabit them have also been artificially damaged, further compressing their living environment.
There are also artificial noises that will also affect their normal life, because the hippocampus is courting, and when interacting, it will make a "click" sound, and the artificial sound will be transmitted into the water, which will affect their communication.
Measures of protection!
1. The establishment of hippocampal reserves in suitable areas of the South China Sea is an effective way to protect hippocampal resources
2. Reduce the purchase of hippocampus and its products
3. Strengthen education in this regard, and relevant units should also increase publicity and education to raise public awareness of the protection of marine resources
4. Resist the illegal trade in seahorses
On July 5, 2021, the police of the Chongzuo Border Management Detachment in Guangxi cracked a case of illegal transportation of endangered wildlife products during patrols, and seized a total of 4,062 dried seahorses of animal products under national second-level protection on the spot, with an estimated case value of more than 600,000 yuan.
On January 14, 2022, the Liuheng Branch of the Zhoushan Municipal Market Supervision and Administration Bureau imposed an administrative penalty of 15,727.5 yuan on Li Mou, who sold seahorses, and confiscated 400 yuan of illegal gains.
Although the protection has been increased, there are still many lawbreakers who have taken a chance to illegally fish seahorses, sell dry seahorses, and so on. There is no harm in not buying and selling, and I hope that such things will become less and less in the future.
Summary:
Males produce offspring, which is unique in the world and very representative. Such a magical species must be more protected, and perhaps in the future people will reap unexpected surprises. What do you think about the fact that hippocampus has offspring from males?