Dressed in natural neon costumes, seahorses are distinguished from other species because the males carry the pregnancy.
Belonging to the genus of Hippocampus, the seahorses are covered with a rare bony shield among fish. This morphology – strangely similar to that of land horses – allows them a very different swimming technique to the other inhabitants of the depths of the oceans.
They are specialists in camouflage: they adapt the color of their skin to the environment in which they are, so they are generally covered with a wide range of glowing colors. In addition to its coral appearance, this species has a trait that distinguishes it from its marine peers: the males are the ones who get pregnant.
How does this pregnancy work?
Hippocampi mate seasonally, when the temperature of the waters is warmer. After a typical ceremonial dance in which their tails intertwine, the males expel the seminal fluid to the outside. In this way, another male becomes fertilized when the eggs enter their gestation sac.
In the same gestation process, a common seahorse can carry up to 2 thousand eggs in its belly. The very shape of their bodies allows them to stand upright during pregnancy. To scroll, adopt an upright position, propelling himself with his dorsal fin.
In addition to the fertilization is surprisingly fast, pregnancy is also fleeting for this species. The required time range is between ten days and six weeks in total, depending on the climatic conditions and the breed of the animal.
What about the females?
Females play a fundamental role in the fertilization process. They are the ones that drive the eggs to the male sac, through a genital papilla called ovopositor.
If the process is successful, fertilization will occur in the next 6 seconds. Furthermore, this is a strategy to ensure that the eggs come exclusively from a single female. In this way, the seahorses they practice genetic monogamy for each batch of eggs.
In childbirth, however, they do not participate at all. Unlike other animals, lParents take all the work. To release the young, they rub their belly against shells or corals for hours, thus releasing about 400 fry. It is common for them to grab hold of some support with their tail, since the process is long and exhausting for males.
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