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Young World
WORLD OF SCIENCE
Horse — at sea
DR T.V. PADMA
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Seahorses are fascinating creatures, but they are an endangered species.
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Photo: AP
Exotic: Tough to survive.
Seahorses are strangely shaped, but they are fish. Fish have backbones, and seahorses are vertebrates. Seahorses have dorsal and pectoral fins. The dorsal fin, on the seahorse’s curved back, above its tail, propels the animal forward. The pectoral fins, at the back of the head or the sea horse’s “neck” help the animal to steer and turn the way it wants to go.
Seahorses have interesting eyes — it moves independently of one another. They have no teeth and swallow their food whole!
The most interesting thing about the seahorse is that the males are the ones that “get pregnant”. Females lay eggs, but the eggs are carried by the male in a special pouch in front. The time between when the eggs are deposited in the male’s pouch and the time they hatch differs according to water temperature and seahorse species.
Threatened
Seahorses are fascinating creatures. Unfortunately, many species are endangered. People catch seahorses to make curios or to keep in their aquariums. Once an animal is removed from its habitat it cannot reproduce. Many die in the capture process. Seahorses are also thought to have curative powers, and are killed for use in Chinese medicine. Habitats, mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass meadows are destroyed.
Even without human cruelty, seahorses have a hard time surviving. They are slow swimmers and live in shallow habitats where predators abound. Their only hope for escape is camouflage. Out of the thousands of eggs, only about two survive.
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