| Seahorse |
| Wild Mallorca |
 This beautiful, unique, small marine fish is to be found in the beds of Posidonia. It has no caudal fin, which has been modified in the form of a prehensile tail enabling it to attach itself to algae and plants. Fortunately it is very common in the Mediterranean, where it is represented by two species: Hippocampus hippocampus and Hippocampus guttulatus, the latter being the larger.Seahorses are so named for their equine profile. Although they are bony fish, they do not have scales, but rather a thin skin stretched over a series of bony plates arranged in rings throughout their body. Each species has a distinct number of rings. Seahorses swim upright, another characteristic that is not shared by their close pipefish relatives, which swim horizontally. Seahorses have a coronet on their head, which is distinct to each seahorse, much like a human fingerprint. They swim very poorly by using a dorsal fin, which they rapidly flutter to propel them, and pectoral fins, located behind their eyes, which they use to steer. Seahorses have no caudal fin. As they are poor swimmers, they are most likely to be found resting in beds of sea grass or coral reefs, with their prehensile tails wound around a stationary object. They have long snouts, which they use to suck up food, and eyes that can move independently of each other, much like a chameleon. Seahorses eat small shrimp, tiny fish and plankton Normally several adults will move around together, intertwining their prehensile tails, as if they were performing a dance. These delightful creatures usually live near the coast, among the meadows of marine phanerogams and algae. |
