Thorny seahorse

• Length up to 2.5 cm
• Distribution RS & AS
• Depth 1 - 20 m.
• Lives in the sea grass or in the crevices of the coral reefs.
• The adult individuals cling to branches of floating algae.
• Often lives in monogamous pairs, greeting each other in the morning with a special, ritualized dance.
• Courtship and the transfer of eggs into the male's brooding pouch follow a species specific patter of synchronized, mutually harmonizing behavior.
• insemination of the eggs by the male still remains a mystery and is controversially discussed among specialists.
• There are tiny canals in the tissue that forms the inner lining of the pouch, which probably serves as the pathway for the sperm.
• The fertilized eggs are carried and thus guarded several weeks in the male,s pouch till the fry hatches.
• The juveniles are born as miniature replica of their parents without going through a true plank tonic larval stage.

** Information provided based on the Red Sea Reef guide.
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