Seahorses

Table of Gontents:

1. Features (page 2)
2. Habitat (page g)
3. Diet (page 4)
4. Adaptations (page S)
5. Birth (page 6)
6. Closest Relatives (page 7l
7. Glossary (page 8)
8. About the Author (page e)

Eeatures
seahorses are known for their horse shaped head.
Even though when you look at a picture you might think
they have scales, they actually do not. lnstead of scales
they have body plates( flat bones that cover the body like
armor).

seahorses have large eyes, and no teeth.seahorses

come in sizes ranging from 1.5 centimeters to 35.5
centimeters. They also have common fins such as the
anal fin, and the dorsal fin.

7-

Habitat
seahorses are primarily found in tropical yet shallow
waters, swimming upright in many different plants found
on the bottom of the ocean. They prefer the water they live
in to be somewhere around 45 degrees s to 50 degrees
N.

Their habitat normaily consists of bright colors,

because seahorses are normally bright colors.

Diet
A seahorses diet normally consists of shrimp,
plankton, crustaceans( a smaller version of a tobster
and a
shrimp), and copepods. These meal choices are al! soft
and easy to chew. This is because seahorses don't have
teeth!
seahorses need to watch their back every second of
every day because they have many predators, such as,
sting rays, crabs, larger fish, and humans. As you can see,
seahorses have a rot to worry about. But, in the next
chapter you will learn what they use to survive.

Ada tations
The adaptations of a seahorse i,-__- -bir swim
bladders, long tails, long curled neck, dorsal fin, pectoral
fin, and body plates. Let's start out with their swim
bladders. Their swim bladders help them swim up and
down and all around without needing to find air in the
water.
Seahorses also have their long tails and Iong curled
necks. Their long tail helps them hold on to tropical plants.
And their long curved necks to help them reach for their
prey from a distance.
Then there's the dorsal and pectoral fins. The pectoral
fin is located right under the brood pouch. This fin is
normally only used for staying above the ocean floor. The
dorsal fin is used for moving left and right.
And last but definitely not Ieast, body prates. Body
plates basically protect the seahorse from being crushed.
But, the body plates also give the seahorse an advantage.
with the body plates a seahorse is able to camouflage.
This helps seahorses in many different ways. such as,
hiding from an enemy. As everyone knows this important,
because if you aren't able to defend yourself, well, you die.

Birth
Seahorses have a particular way of giving birth. This
way has amazed scientists for years. lnstead of the female
giving birth the male takes over the duty for her. The male
goes through contractions, labor, and actually gives birth
to the young
Did you know that a male seahor {-,produce up to
1000 eggs per reproductive process. You might be asking,
then what is the female's roll? Well while the male is
carrying the eggs the female is preparing for the next
reproduction process. But, she is there when the male is
going through labor.
Seahorses are inspiring animals. They even inspired
the Empathy Belly. This is a product designed to show
men what it is like to be pregnant. Basically, employees
from the company and hook on the product, add the
sphere shaped weights to the bottom pocket, and give you
a packet and a notebook to reflect on your experience.
That product will really show men who don't understand
how hard it is to be pregnant.

Glosest Relatives
Seahorses are a very uncommon species, so, in
result they have only one relative.
This relative is the pipefish. pipe fish Iook like a
seahorse intertwined with a snake. They are very small
too. They have a seahorses muzzle, and a snake's body.
Pipefish actually give birth just like seahorses