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A seahorse (also written sea-horse and sea horse) is any of 46 species of small marine bony fish in the genus Hippocampus. The genus name comes from the Ancient Greek hippókampos ( ἱππόκαμπος ), itself from híppos ( ἵππος ) meaning "horse" and kámpos ( κάμπος ) meaning "sea monster" [ 4 ] [ 5 ] or "sea animal". [ 6 ]
An alternative explanation for the evolution from pygmy pipehorse to seahorse is based on the finding that a vertically bent head is more efficient in capturing prey because it increases the animal's strike distance, which is considered particularly useful in tail-attached sit-and-wait predators. [15]
The shape of their mouth—at least, in syngnathids—allows for the ingestion of prey at close range via suction. [3] Many species of Syngnathiformes also employ strategic camouflage (such as cryptic coloration and overall physical form) to hunt successfully and gain closer access to prey, as well as to protect themselves from larger predators.
Winged hippocamp in an Art Deco fountain, Kansas City, Missouri, (1937). The hippocampus, or hippocamp or hippokampos (plural: hippocampi or hippocamps; Ancient Greek: ἱππόκαμπος, from ἵππος, 'horse', and κάμπος, 'sea monster' [1]), sometimes called a "sea-horse" [2] in English, [citation needed] is a mythological creature mentioned in Etruscan, Greek, Phoenician, [3 ...
Male seahorses have a specialized ventral brood pouch to carry the embryos, male sea dragons attach the eggs to their tails, and male pipefish may do either, depending on their species. [4] The most fundamental difference between the different lineages of the family Syngnathidae is the location of male brood pouch. [ 5 ]
The lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus), northern seahorse or spotted seahorse, is a species of fish that belongs to the family Syngnathidae. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] H. erectus is a diurnal species with an approximate length of 15 cm (5.9 inches) and lifespan of one to four years.
Hippocampus kuda is a species of seahorse, also known as the common seahorse, estuary seahorse, yellow seahorse or spotted seahorse. The common name sea pony has been used for populations formerly treated as the separate species Hippocampus fuscus , now a synonym of H. kuda .
The Pacific seahorse, also known as the giant seahorse, (Hippocampus ingens) is a species of fish in the family Syngnathidae. Their genus name (Hippocampus) is derived from the Greek word hippos, which means "horse" and campus, which means "sea monster." [4] This species is the only seahorse species found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. [5]