Is the seahorse a mammal or an amphibian? How to tell the difference between male and female seahorses

In the natural sea, seahorses are mainly distributed in the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, the Pacific Ocean, and Australia. They usually like to live in the slow currents of coral reefs because they are not good at swimming. In addition, the habits of seahorses are also quite special. Let's take a closer look at how they are different.

Contents of this article

1. Is the seahorse a mammal or an amphibian?

2. How to distinguish male and female seahorses

3. What is the function of the seahorse's tail?

Is the seahorse a mammal or an amphibian?

Seahorses are neither mammals nor amphibians, but fish. Seahorses are a general term for several small fish species that live in warm seas in the Syngnathidae family of the order Acanthopanax. They are small marine animals that are 5 to 30 cm long and move slowly.

Seahorses are not good at swimming and usually like to live in the slow currents of coral reefs. They often use their tails that are suitable for grasping to tightly hook onto the branches of corals and the leaves of seaweed to fix their bodies.

Although seahorses are slow-moving and tethered to the seafloor by their curled tails, like seaweed, they are very efficient at catching fast-moving, elusive copepods.

The habits of seahorses are also quite special. They like to live in subtidal areas where algae or sea leeks grow abundantly. They are very lazy and are generally active during the day and remain dormant at night.

How to distinguish male and female seahorses

How to distinguish male and female seahorses: Observe with the naked eye whether there is a brood pouch on the ventral side of the seahorse's tail. The male seahorse has a bulging bag-like object at the tail end, which is located behind the anus and is used to nurture the young, while the female seahorse does not have it.

Seahorse:

Seahorses are members of the Syngnathidae family of the order Acanthophodon. They are mainly found in the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, the Pacific Ocean, and Australia. Seahorses are 5 to 30 cm long. Their heads are bent at nearly right angles to their bodies, and they are shaped like a horse's head and form an angle with their bodies. Their snouts are long and tubular, and their mouths are small. They have one dorsal fin, all of which is composed of fin rays. They like to live in subtidal areas where algae or sea leeks grow profusely. They are very lazy and mainly feed on small crustaceans.

What is the function of a seahorse's tail?

1. The curled tail of the seahorse has a fixing function.

2. In natural waters, seahorses usually like to live in the slow currents of coral reefs. Because they are not good at swimming, they often use their prehensile tails to tightly grasp the branches of corals and leaves of seaweed to fix their bodies so as not to be washed away by the rapids. The structure and function of the seahorse's tail are very different from those of other fish. When resting, the seahorse uses the curling ability of its tail to wrap the tail end around the stems of seaweed. Therefore, seahorses mostly live in deep-sea algae-rich places. The swimming posture is also very special, with the head facing up and the body slightly tilted upright in the water. It relies entirely on the dorsal fin and pectoral fins to move, and the fan-shaped dorsal fin plays a role in wave propulsion.