The dragon seahorse by Ana Maria Baramidze

Scientific cassification of the Weedy Seadragon

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 18:44:55 UTC

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Syngnathidae
Subfamily: Syngnathinae
Genus: Phyllopteryx
Species: P. taeniolatus
Binominal name: Phyllopteryx taeniolatus

The dragon seahorse is a marine and vertebrate fish, because it has got endoskeleton and backbone.

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:07:24 UTC

Scienticic classification of the Leafy Seadragon

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:13:43 UTC

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Syngnathidae
Subfamily: Syngnathinae
Genus: Phycodurus
Species: P. eques
Binominal name: Phycodurus eques

There are two types of dragon seahorse:

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:18:14 UTC

The Leafy and the Weedy seadragon, but the best known are the Leafies.

The Leafy Seadragon

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:20:01 UTC

They are hunt by collectors, and used in medicine. They are vulnerable when first born, and are slow swimmers, reducing their chance of escaping from a predator. They can't curl their tails and hold onto seagrasses to stay safe.

The Weedy Seadragon

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:22:26 UTC

The common seadragon is a desired species in international aquariums. The volume of wild-caught individuals is small and not currently a major threat. Instead, habitat loss, degradation, human activities, pollution threaten common seadragons most. The loss of suitable seagrass beds put the future of seadragon populations at risk. This species is not at present a victim of bycatch or a target of trade in Traditional Chinese Medicine, two activities which are currently a threat to many related seahorse population.

The example of a Leafy Seadragon

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:28:42 UTC

How do they move?

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:31:46 UTC

The seadragon uses the fins along the side of its head to turn. However, its outer skin is rigid, limiting mobility. Seadragons have been observed remaining in one location for extended periods of time (up to 68 hours), but will sometimes move for long periods. They move about 150 m per hour.

How do they breathe?

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:33:09 UTC

They breathe through gills.

Reproduction

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:36:40 UTC

The males are in charge of the eggs.The female produces up to 250 eggs.The female lays the eggs in the male's tail. The eggs turn purple or orange during this period, after which the male drives its tail until the infants emerge, a process that lasts between 24-48 hours. The male helps the eggs hatch shaking his tail. When born are about 20 mm long. Only about 5% of the eggs survive. It takes 28 weeks to reach sexual maturity.

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:41:22 UTC

Habitat

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:42:16 UTC

That seahorse is found in many different locations around North and South America. They are typically located in tropical waters that are quite warm. They will be found living along the coral and the seagrass. In Europe they are known to reside in the river Thames. Many of the larger species are living in the Mediterranean Sea.

The seadragon's name is derived from its likeness to another creature (the dragon).

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:45:22 UTC

The Long Beach Aquarium

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:46:46 UTC

Seadragons have only been in captivity for 15 years. The Long Beach aquarium acquired Big Daddy (a seadragon) when he was 6 months old. Today, the museum has seven weedy seadragons and 12 leafy seadragons. Of the seven weedy ones there are three males, one female and three babies whose sex has yet to be determined.

Unknown Species

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:48:45 UTC

Relatively little is known about the small aquatic animals, which with their bodies look like miniature versions of the dragon.

Scientists don't know how long seadragons tend to live. They don't know how old seadragons must be to reproduce, and they don't know how to identify the boys from the girls—until they start to mate.
Scientists haven't had much luck studying seadragons in the wild because they are very strange.

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 19:52:00 UTC

Their bodies

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 20:07:57 UTC

Why they are fish?

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 20:11:45 UTC

They are fish because they have got gills, they are aquatic animals and they are poikilotherms, too.

Fast Facts

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 20:23:54 UTC

Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Leafy, up to 13.8 in (35 cm), Weedy, up to 18 in (46 cm).
Did you know?

The tail of a male leafy sea dragon will turn bright yellow when he is ready to mate.

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 20:30:42 UTC

anabara7 — 2015-12-09 20:31:56 UTC