Pygmy Seahorse | Oceana

Home / Pygmy Seahorse

Marine Life Encyclopedia > Ocean Fishes > Pygmy Seahorse

Pygmy Seahorse

The pygmy seahorse is a master of camouflage, built to blend in seamlessly with the variety of coral it spends most of its life hanging onto. In fact, its ability to disguise itself is so extreme it was only discovered when it was unintentionally collected with a sample of coral that was taken to an aquarium to be studied.

 

This fish can be found around the Indo-West Pacific from Indonesia and down to Australia. The pygmy seahorse is super small, only growing to be less than an inch (2 cm) in length. They live in shallow waters less than 40 meters (131 feet) deep of the ocean, in or around tropical gorgonian corals – the only type of coral it lives on. To match these corals, it can be different hues, with a pale purple body featuring darker pink knobs all over, or a yellow body with orange knobs.

Pygmy seahorses are believed to be monogamous, with pairs staying together for life. After breeding, the male will carry eggs in a brood pouch behind its tail for about two weeks until they mature and hatch. About 12-65 young are born at one time, with each one only measuring about only 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) long! Not much is known about what these little creatures eat, but it is assumed that they likely prey mostly on smaller crustaceans like other seahorses.

 

 

With its strong reliance on coral, a very specific variety of coral at that, for its safety and survival, the pygmy seahorse is threatened by coral reef degradation, climate change, and destructive fishing habits. At this time, however, the global population is listed as a species of “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.

 

 

Oceana works to help protect species like the pygmy seahorse by campaigning against overfishing, climate change, and urging world leaders to protect marine habitats.

 

 

 

GET INVOLVED

DONATE TODAY

SUPPORT OUR WORK TO PROTECT THE OCEANS BY GIVING TODAY

With the support of more than 1 million activists like you, we have already protected over 4 million square miles of ocean.

DONATE

TAKE ACTION NOW

SUPPORT POLICY CHANGE FOR THE OCEANS

Decision-makers need to hear from ocean lovers like you. Make your voice heard!

ACT NOW

VISIT OUR ADOPTION CENTER

SYMBOLICALLY ADOPT AN ANIMAL TODAY

Visit our online store to see all the ocean animals you can symbolically adopt, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else.

SHOP THE STORE

DOWNLOAD OCEAN ACTIVITIES

HELP KIDS DISCOVER OUR BLUE PLANET

Our free KELP (Kids Environmental Lesson Plans) empower children to learn about and protect our oceans!

LEARN MORE

FEATURED CAMPAIGN

Save the Oceans, Feed the World

We are restoring the world’s wild fish populations to serve as a sustainable source of protein for people.

Learn More

MORE CAMPAIGNS

Protect Habitat

Bycatch

Plastics

View All

CONTACT

Oceana International Headquarters
1025 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036 USA

General Inquiries
+1(202)-833-3900
info@oceana.org

Donation Inquiries
+1(202)-569-4895
wavemaker@oceana.org

Press Inquiries
+1(202)-833-3900
press@oceana.org

OCEANA'S EFFICIENCY

BECOME A WAVEMAKER

Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT WITH A DONATION

We have already protected over 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.

Donate Now

QUICK LINKS: