Marine Wildlife Encyclopedia
Pygmy Seahorse Hippocampus bargibanti
This miniature seahorse lives on Muricella sea fans and was originally discovered when a sea fan was collected for an aquarium. It is very difficult to spot as its body is covered in tubercles that exactly match the polyps of its host. Clinging on tightly with its prehensile tail, it reaches out into the water to suck in planktonic animals. Like other seahorses, it has a rigid body made up of bony plates and a head that is tucked in like a tightly reined carriage horse.
zoom image
- Order Syngnathiformes
- Length 1 in (2.5 cm)
- Weight Not recorded
- Depth 50–165 ft (15–50 m)
- Distribution Tropical waters of southwestern Pacific
zoom image
