So cute, so bizarre: seahorses

Seahorses are cute, we are sure all agree. Pity the little ones, however, are also. That is precisely why we should take better care of her.

May we introduce? A dwarf seahorse, Hippocampus bargibanti

Seahorses live worldwide in tropical and temperate seas. Most of the species inhabiting the temperate temperate seas around Australia and new Zealand, but also on the European Atlantic coast to the English channel and the estuary of the Thames, a kind of is.

But wait a minute! What seahorses are, exactly? What are you? From whom do you come? The Resemblance to the horse is at first glance obvious. This relationship can, however, be ruled out. Because of the head s over down and the similarities with artiodactyls. The body of the seahorse is of a fragile, the rear tail end of the worm-like, Hooves? Fail display.

In the broadest sense, seahorses fish are without scales. Instead, you have a delicate skin, which is stretched over the ring-shaped, bony plates. Each type has a certain number of these rings. Together with the scraps of fish and other species, seahorses, form the family of pipefish (Syngnathidae).

Seahorses are different, but great, and an exciting research object. Because the animals have developed in the course of time, many unusual body characteristics and behavior

Bad Swimmers

In terms of Swimming not a lot with fishing together, poor swimmers, seahorses are extremely. You can’t blame them however, because they are finally in an upright Position in the water, that is to say: you are not just streamlined.

And as if that wasn’t enough, you are missing the fish typical of the tail fin completely. For forward movement, you make use of the dorsal fin, the fins on the left and right of the control.

So no records to break. With a maximum speed of 1.5 meters per hour, the dwarf seahorse Hippocampus Zosterae, the slowest fish in the world. For comparison: A snail creates three meters per hour, so the 0.003 km/h.

To look and see! Here are two dwarf cloak seahorses are particularly pretty

The dwarf seahorse is a four centimetres, the length of the body of one of the smaller representatives of the family of the pipefish. But it goes even smaller. There are even seahorses that measure just one and a half inches. Larger specimens, however, as 35 centimetres of body length.

How romantic!

As is the case in a variety of sizes, there are seahorses in all the colors of the rainbow, especially red, orange, yellow, green, or grey. This includes patterns, stripes, or dots. Since the little guys are not afraid to experiment. They are available with long or short snouts, and you can even change their color, when it comes to hide.

He belongs to me: sea horse in the pairing of the same color to show that they belong together

But not only then. Of seahorses we can Flirt us in terms of even something to learn. Every Morning to sunrise swims, the female to the male, and calls on it to a romantic dance: they change colour, turning in a circle, swim through their territory, the tails in each other’s arms. Adorable, right? Then the couple separates and each devoted to his own daily routine – which means primarily food intake. But more on that later.

Men thing!

Also in the mating season, dancing with the seahorses. If seahorses perform their love dance, take both the same color. In order to show that they belong to each other. This courtship for several days to behave normally. In the process, they get caught again their cocks into each other. Biologists believe that the seahorses to vote so that their reproductive cycle to each other.

After that, the male is able to fertilize eggs when it receives them. When mating, the female seahorse is injected up to 2000 eggs in the male brood pouch. You heard right! Because in the case of family, the male-for-kids seahorse is responsible. About nine to 45 days, the seahorse is pregnant, then have all of you young completely.

How many seahorse species there are, is unknown. An estimated 33 different types of Trend is decreasing.

And then the big day came: The hatching of 100 to 1000 lively sea horses! Given the survival rate of such large litters, however, are also necessary. Because the seahorses are placed according to their birth alone. The parents are usually busy with the next pairing.

Who has not careful, when a hungry predator comes by, or when a strong current is rapidly moving away from the window. Less than 0.5 percent of the small seahorses reach adulthood.

Good night, and good hold…

Speaking of flow: To while sleeping not to abort, hold the seahorse with your cock to plants or corals.

So you are also waiting for their prey. Seahorses are typical Ambush predator – something else remains you left. You are after all not particularly fast and scary, or even with a good set of Teeth fitted. You don’t even have teeth.

Seahorses are available in various sizes, shapes and colors. This copy bears a kind of mane.

Always hungry

But you can boast with a 360-degree all-round view. And so you wait patiently and well camouflaged, until potential prey in front of his mouth floats. With the tactics, it is plastered about 3000 small crustaceans, floating shrimp, water fleas or fish larvae of the day. They all sucked the seahorses lightning fast with the tubular mouth and swallowed it. There is every Time the for seahorses characteristic clicking noise.

So it goes on all day long. Up to ten hours spend a seahorse with the Lauer-hunt, because you are always hungry. Seahorses have no stomach, this means that you need to constantly eat, because the food slips so quickly through the digestive system through. What a life!

A heart for seahorses

But as well as they can camouflage well and your bone armor against predators are protected, in front of the people you are so long not sure: The business with seahorses is booming.

The animals are eaten dried, ground and used in soups, teas and rice wine. You believe in Traditional Chinese medicine, this helps to erectile dysfunction, shortness of breath, Asthma, pain, and incontinence. Over 20 million seahorses a year that end up as bycatch in fishing nets come in.

Although international trade is banned since 2004 by the Washington species protection Convention (CITES), to achieve even today, dried seahorses to the markets in Bangkok or Hong Kong for a price of 600 to 3000 dollars per kilogram.

More: China’s appetite for dried seahorses – the end for the sea animal?

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  Caring fathers in the animal Kingdom

  Self is the man

  The seahorses have made the classic role model completely on its head: It is the male that becomes pregnant! After extensive courtship dance, on joint trips with interlocking interlocked tails, the female injects, depending on the type – 150 to 2000 eggs in the brood pouch of the expectant father. Gives his cum to. After ten to twelve days, the Mini will be born seahorses.

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  Caring fathers in the animal Kingdom

  The load on his shoulders

  The giant water bugs man also knows what it’s like to carry the burden of care for their brood alone. The female lays about 100 fertilized eggs on the back of the male, and makes the bending. He does not feel the “pregnancy” also physically: fly is in there, the eggs stick to its wings. Nevertheless, The larvae hatch after about a week, and get immediately without a dad.

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  Caring fathers in the animal Kingdom

  My Nest, my children!

  The Three-spined stickleback wants from his female counterparts only the spawning. Nest building, fertilization, and brood care: he makes alone. The young stickleback hatch after seven to twelve days, they remain for some time in the Nest. Dad now has to do all the fins in full. Constantly attacker shot and büchste baby must be fish returned to their homes.

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  Caring fathers in the animal Kingdom

  Child-rearing is a matter for men

  The Nandu-husband is also a father, body and soul. He keeps a Harem, and had, therefore, plenty of help in the rearing of the Chicks. Nevertheless, he would rather make everything myself. He builds the Nest, in which the ladies lay their eggs and then again from thence may draw. He hatched, he helps to Hatch, and he defends his children’s aggressive – even the mothers, he keeps at a distance.

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  Caring fathers in the animal Kingdom

  Dad life-and-death

  How forces can be draining to be the children’s rearing, the Emperor penguin: While mom waddles after oviposition back to the sea to hunt, he takes the Egg on his feet and under his stomach fold, to protect it from the icy cold of the Antarctic. After about 64 days the chick hatches. Until mum returns with the pre-digested fish that has dad lost a third of his body weight.

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  Caring fathers in the animal Kingdom

  Extremely children love fathers

  Also, the Flamingo pairs will tend to the young. Both sexes feed the Chicks with the so-called crop milk, which is similar to mammalian milk, and the Beak of the chick is fed. In the case of the gay Flamingo couple in an animal Park in England, the children love so much that they stole eggs from other nests to hatch.

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  Caring fathers in the animal Kingdom

  More support, more children

  It is just the way it is: In most mammalian species, the classic role model prevails. Nice, if dad is there, he often has his young but nothing at the hat. In the case of the Marmoset, the father helps, however, actively. He deals with his children, and wandering around wearing them. Through the support released, you may be the female faster pregnant again.

  Author: Julia Vergin

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  Under water wonders

  Water dragon

  Looks like a seahorse – but it isn’t! The Red sea dragon is a rare sea fish. He was described 2015 for the first Time, but it is only now that researchers have a can in front of the coast of Western Australia also live specimens to admire. The animals were observed in a depth of 50 meters when you Eat.

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  Under water wonders

  Seahorses

  Also, the “real” seahorses are quite unusual. You are one of the few species that swim vertically. Since the works but not really well, you are just bad swimmers. The male of the seahorse, the fertilized eggs and give birth to the young.

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  Under water wonders

  Electric eel

  The electric eel is not an eel, but a new world knife fish. But his gift leaves his prey to tremble: He creates power surges at voltages up to 600 volts. So he kills, for example, small fish. Researchers found now that he locates with his current body at the same time prey – like bats with their sonar.

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  Under water wonders

  Protect fish

  The perch related to protect fish lives in brackish water and thought about another Trick to hunt his prey: He spits a jet of water into the air. Made the insects fall into the water and protect fish has his lunch. Larger fish specimens spitting two to three meters wide.

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  Under water wonders

  Sky gazers

  This fish hides in the Sand and waits for prey to pass floats to his head. He then shoots quickly to the top and enjoys his food. Sky gazers have large heads with a large, upward mouth. And then there are those giant eyes! Anyone who finds the Art in nature, should be careful: it is toxic.

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  Under water wonders

  Stone fish

  Toxic and good in camouflage? In both the stone fish expert! He looks like a algae overgrown stone – but if you step on it, gets his gift to feel the spines. The poison hurts scary and can kill people.

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  Under water wonders

  Puffer fish

  Puffer fish have a stomach, a kind of Rubber, you can fill it as quick as a flash with a lot of water when they feel threatened. They are bigger and round. They produce the poison Tetrodotoxin; the smallest amounts can kill people quickly. In Japan, puffer fish are still a delicacy – if you are someone prepared, and know how to do that.

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  Under water wonders

  Angler fish

  An angler fish attracts prey with a kind of Angel: a fleshy outgrowth on the head, called the Illicium. The lights even, to make prey curious. The victim approach, and – zack – land in the giant mouth of the predator. Angler fish live almost anywhere in the world – even in the deep sea.

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  Under water wonders

  Viper fish

  Anyone looking for crazy-looking fish in the deep sea to the right place! To Feed high pressure, no light and little animals need to adapt well to life here. As of up to 35 centimeters long and Viper fish. If in the deep sea, however, once a prey comes by, he wants to go, to catch you, too – therefore, he has a large mouth and many sharp teeth.

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  Under water wonders

  Plaice

  Yes, flounders are flat – no question. Plaice are camouflaged extremely well and bury themselves in the Sediment. While a small plaice developed, moves your eye around the head to the other side so that both eyes lie on one side of the fish.

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  Under water wonders

  Mudskippers

  Mudskippers could not decide, apparently, whether you prefer water or Land – and have opted for both at the same time. They live on mangrove roots, or – as the Name already says – in the mud. Your breast is unusually fins are strong, so that you can move across the country. They breathe through skin like amphibians. But they are clearly fish.

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  Under water wonders

  Hammerhead

  Who would not call this head shape quirky? Researchers believe that the flat, to the side exploded head gives with the two eyes at the end of the hammerhead sharks in a better prudence. So you see more.

  Author: Brigitte Osterath, Carla Bleiker