The Seahorse

The seahorse is a fascinating and delicate aquatic animal that can be found in the tempered and tropical costal waters around the world. Though named a "horse", the seahorse's physical appearance actually resembles a combination of several land animals. They have the head of a horse, eyes of a chameleon, snout of an aardvark, and tail of a monkey.

There are about 35 known species of seahorses ranging in sizes from one-quarter of an inch to over a foot in length, so it can be said their size is tiny compared to the size of their habitat. And, unlike other fish, the seahorse swims upright, not vertical, making it among the slowest swimmers in the aquatic world. Because of it's miniature size and turtle speed, the seahorse relies heavily on each of it's unique land like animal features to survive in the vast oceans.

The eyes of the seahorse look and function like the eyes of a chameleon. Each eye of the seahorse moves independent of the other and allows them to be in constant "look out" mode for predators in all directions. Also like the chameleon, when danger lurks, the seahorse is capable of camouflaging itself to blend into it's surroundings, becoming almost transparent to predators on the hunt. So, the eyes of the seahorse are an essential warning system to hostility in the area.

The snout of the seahorse also has a very important role. Their snouts are similar the snout of an aardvark and just as essential to the seahorse as it is to the aardvark. Seahorses have no teeth. They also have no stomach, so they must continuously eat or they will starve. Their snouts are used to suck up food which is swallowed whole then deposited directly into their intestines. Because of their vacuum-designed snouts, a seahorse can eat up to 3,000 brine shrimp in a day to satisfy their constant need for food.

The seahorse is still a fish, and just like other fish, it has a dorsal fin that controls forward movement and pectoral fins to control turning and steering. But, unlike other fish, the seahorse has a tail. Their tail is similar to a monkey's tail, and like a monkey uses it's tail for gripping, so does the seahorse. A seahorse is not capable of swimming against a current. This problem combined with their small size, light weight, and unique structure make them vulnerable to ocean currents which at times can be the equivalent of gale force winds capable of carrying the delicate creatures into unfamiliar and dangerous territory. To defend against this, the seahorse uses it's tail to grip coral and seaweed beds to keep itself anchored and stationary.

The seahorse has long been an intriguing creature of the sea. With it's unique appearance and land animal characteristics, it seems life in the ocean would be against the odds for the seahorse. However, they do belong to the salty waters of the earth, and it's because of their specially designed eyes to warn them of danger, long narrow snouts sucking up endless amounts of food, and their tight-gripping tails to anchor them that the seahorse can continue calling the ocean "Home Sweet Home."