West Australian seahorse
Hippocampus subelongatus
Chordata – Osteichthyes
Distribution:
Seahorses have bony plates protecting their bodies instead of scales. Their long snouts end in tiny, toothless mouths that suck in minute crustaceans, which are swallowed whole. The West Australian seahorse varies in colour but can be distinguished by a series of brown lines across the snout. Growing to about 22 cm in length, they are found in sheltered reefs, sponge gardens and seagrass beds in a limited area of the south west of Western Australia.
Did you know?
Most species of seahorse live in pairs. Female seahorses pass their eggs to the males, who incubate them in a protective pouch. He later ‘gives birth’ to highly developed offspring.
In This Section
- Chordates – Animals with backbones
- Invertebrates – Animals without backbones
- Abalone
- Acorn barnacle
- Baler shell
- Blue button sea jelly
- Bluebottle
- Bryozoan
- Bubbler crabs and sand balls
- Chiton
- Cone shell
- Coral
- Cowry shell
- Crab
- Cuttlebone
- Goose barnacle
- Hermit crabs
- Horned ghost crab (Manburr)
- Limpet
- Mud crab
- Mussel
- Periwinkle
- Pipi
- Ram’s horn shell
- Razor clam
- Sand dollars
- Scallop
- Sea hare
- Sea hares
- Sea jelly
- Sea star
- Sea urchin
- Silver-lip pearl oyster
- Sponge
- Tube worm
- Turban snail
- Violet snail
- Marine Pests
- Seagrasses and Algae
- Unusual Finds