Lined Seahorse

Sydney Marenick

Introduction

What do you think when you hear the word seahorses? Do you think about horses playing in the sea? Do you imagine mermaids riding on the backs of saddled seahorses? Well, seahorses are actually fish that live in the ocean. A seahorse is a small animal and the lined seahorse can reach a length of seven to eight inches. In addition to being a small creature, the lined seahorse tends to have a short lifespan of only one to four years. They can live up to four years in aquariums and tanks if they are well taken care of and not stressed. The lined seahorses can be found in tanks at Fort Fisher Aquarium. Outside of captivity, they live off the coast of North Carolina, along the East coast, and down in the Gulf of Mexico.

The lined seahorse was discovered in 1810 by George Perry and illustrated in his book, Arcanae Naturae, in 1911 (add the reference wherever you need to add it). The genus name of seahorses is hippocampus. “The genus name Hippocampus is derived from ancient Greek, translated as “horse/sea monster” (Bester, C. (2017, May 12)).

(Contributors: George R. Sedberry and Pearse Webster), (Bester, C. (2017, May 12), (unknown (n.d)

There is a part of the brain of humans that has been named the hippocampus because, when looked at with the fornix, there is a resemblance to the seahorse. Meyer, R. (1998).

The seahorse has an exoskeleton instead of scales like normal fish and the exoskeleton protects the seahorse. “The lined seahorse is a member of the family Syngnathidae (pipefishes and seahorses). Syngnathids are members of a morphologically bizarre order of bony fishes, the Gasterosteiformes, which includes sticklebacks, trumpetfishes, cornetfishes, and snipefishes” (Contributors: George R. Sedberry and Pearse Webster.). Unlike most fish, the seahorse swims upright and is not a strong swimmer. The lined seahorses use camouflage to help protect themselves from predators. These seahorses have been collected for traditional medicine (Chinese), by collectors, and to place in aquariums.

(Contributors: George R. Sedberry and Pearse Webster.), (Bester, C. (2017, May 12), (Seahorses. (n.d.). ,(Meyer, R. (1998)), (Save Our Seahorses. (n.d.))

Marenick at Fort Fisher Aquarium 2019

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“These specialized fish are poor swimmers and rely on their coloring and texture to camouflage themselves among coral, seagrass, or mangroves where they ambush much smaller prey by sucking them into their toothless snouts” (Bester, C. (2017, May 12)). The lined seahorse can come in different colors depending on their surroundings, so they can range from being a pale yellow, red, brown, to almost a black. “Dark lines appear on its head, neck, and back. Its horse-like head is held perpendicular to the body. It has a long snout with a small, toothless mouth at the end and a tapered, grasping tail without a fin at the tip” (Lined Seahorse. (n.d.)).

Marenick at Fort Fisher Aquarium 2019

Taxonomic information

The scientific name for the lined seahorse is Hippocampus erectus.

The common names for the lined seahorse are northern seahorse, spotted seahorse, and horsefish.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Gasterosteiformes

Family: Syngnathidae

Genus: Hippocampus

Species: Erectus

(Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) )

Niche and Habitat

Lined seahorses can be found from “from Cape Cod (and rarely Nova Scotia, Canada) southward to Bermuda, the Bahamas, shores of the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean coast of Panama, and Columbia, and the Atlantic coast of South America to Uruguay. In addition, there exists a southern form that appears to be genetically distinct from the North Atlantic specimens” (Bester, C. (2017, May 12)).

The lined seahorse does not swim well, is not able to swim fast, and they do not have any way to protect themselves. Because they are not fast swimmers, the lined seahorse uses camouflage to help protect themselves from predators. The lined seahorses are also at the mercy of the environment. The baby and adult lined seahorses are both victims of predators but the young ones are more likely to get eaten. Predators of both the young and adult seahorses are crabs, stingrays, manta rays, tuna, humans, and various types of fish. (Home page. (n.d.))

The seahorses can be found at the top of the water and then at the bottom of the water, depending on their stage of life. They can live in a variety of areas, including “clinging to aquatic vegetation including mangroves, seagrasses, sponges, corals, and floating sargassum. Those that reside with sargassum often have protuberances and fleshy tabs that aid in camouflage. This seahorse is also found associated with man-made structures. Adults may be associated with vegetation or swimming freely in the midwater while newborn and juvenile lined seahorses tend to swim close to the surface of the water” (Bester, C. (2017, May 12)).

The lined seahorses tend to live in locations that provide them with a place to hold onto with their tails and provide them camouflage to help protect them. They tend to live “among bay grass beds in shallow waters in summer, retreating to deeper waters in winter.” They “can be found clinging to crab pots, pilings or ropes” (Lined Seahorse. (n.d.)).

Bester, C. (2017, May 12)

Evolutionary History

In the lined seahorse, along with other seahorses, the males are the ones who carry the baby seahorses and give birth to them. The female lined seahorse can place anywhere from 250-650 eggs in the male's brood pouch. Once the eggs are in his brood pouch, he fertilizes them. The eggs stay within the brood pouch of the male for 20-21 days and then they hatch. The babies stay within the brood pouch until they can swim. The males of most animals do not carry their babies but the male seahorse carries the babies. The lined seahorse tends to have only one partner for a lifetime. (Bester, C. (2017, May 12))

Depending on where the seahorses are located, the seahorses are a variety of colors to help with their camouflage. Lined seahorses use their camouflage to help protect them from predators because they do not swim well or fast. They blend in well with the environment in which they are living. Their tails are prehensile, which allows them to grasp the aquatic vegetation to provide them with additional cover from predators. “It is believed that the seahorse evolved in order to do well in shallow areas of water. They were able to thrive on the seagrass habitats found there” (Home page. (n.d.))

The seahorse has an exoskeleton instead of scales like normal fish and the exoskeleton helps protect the seahorse. The coronet, which is located on the seahorse’s head, has sharp spines that can serve as protection. The seahorse “can move their eyes independently, which allows or them to look for food with one eye and predators with the other” (Lined Sea Horse. (n.d.)).

(Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016)

Environmental Impacts

The lined seahorse and other seahorses are facing many struggles related to their environment. Global warming causes the habitats of the seahorses to change; corals become bleached and die, so they have fewer places to live and hide. Global warming may also be causing more severe weather, especially hurricanes, that can impact the habitats of the seahorse. Building near the coasts can also alter the habitat of the seahorses. Another impact on the seahorses is the amount of trash in the ocean, which affects the seahorse by making the ocean a much more harsh place to live in. Commercial fishing also affects the seahorse because they are accidentally being caught and brought up with the catch. (Seahorse Predators. (n.d.))

The loss of seahorse populations in an area can impact that ecosystem. “This can have a rippling effect that creates overpopulation of many other living things in the various bodies of water out there in the world”(Home page. (n.d.)).

Conservation

Humans have a strong influence on lined seahorses and other seahorses. Aside from damaging their habitats through building and pollution, humans trade and collect seahorses. Traditional Chinese medicine still uses seahorses for some of their cures. Seahorses are caught to be sold in aquariums, although they are more prone to infections when they are in aquariums. Tourists also buy dried seahorses as souvenirs. “ More than 20 million seahorses are collected each year, causing some seahorse populations to crash by 50% over the last five years. Seahorses are considered a powerful aphrodisiac and are used to treat an array of ailments including asthma, impotence, infertility, throat infections and lethargy” (unknown (n.d)).

The seahorse are also being caught in commercial fishing nets when they are being brought up with the catches. “Humans also use the seahorse as a form of making crafts and jewelry. The popularity of this has soared as a common trend. People that live in areas of the seahorse will continue to kill them for this purpose” (Seahorse Predators. (n.d.)).

“The Chesapeake Bay is home to a single species, the lined seahorse, which is classified as threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature” (Pelton, T. (n.d.)), as a result of environmental and human impacts on the seahorse. There are many different organizations trying to help bring awareness to protecting the seahorses.

Friends or Foes?

Since the lined seahorse does not swim well or quickly, they do not have any way to protect themselves aside from camouflage. The baby and adult lined seahorses can both be victims of predators but the young ones are more likely to get eaten. Predators of both the young and adult seahorses are crabs, stingrays, manta rays, tuna, humans, and tiger fish. Most of the species that eat the seahorse are those that are found close to the shore. Many fish will not eat the seahorse because of their protective outsides and they are very bony. (Seahorse Predators. (n.d.))

Lined seahorses rely on protective from the aquatic vegetation where they live. They need healthy seagrass, corals, mangrove trees, sponges, and seaweed in order to thrive.

(Bester, C. (2017, May 12))Lined seahorses do not have teeth. They suck in krill and tiny shrimp with their long snouts. They need to eat frequently because they do not have a stomach and food passes rapidly through them. (Kennedy, J. (2019, February 04)).

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Web Resources for Audience to Explore

1.https://www.leisurepro.com/blog/explore-the-blue/10-fun-facts-about-seahorses/- includes facts about seahorses and have a simple amount of facts.

2.https://onekindplanet.org/animal/seahorse/- includes facts about seahorses and have a simple amount of facts. Along with having different facts from the first website.

3.https://www.natgeokids.com/nz/discover/animals/sea-life/seahorse-facts/- includes pictures of different seahorses, and facts.

4.https://www.iseahorse.org/Taxa/Details/54540- pictures, and talks about how Northn Seahorse and Lined Seahorses are similar.

5.https://www.chesapeakebay.net/S=0/fieldguide/critter/lined_seahorse- simple to use the website, and simple information about lined seahorses.

6.https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/hippocampus-erectus/-simple to use the website, and simple information about lined seahorses.

Resources

Seahorse, P. (n.d.). All seahorse species. Retrieved June 12, 2019, from https://www.iseahorse.org/Taxa

Kennedy, J. (2019, February 04). Fascinating Facts About the Dwarf Seahorse. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://www.thoughtco.com/dwarf-seahorse-profile-2291561

Historical SciArt. (2018, January 13). Your Brain & Seahorses. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://histsciart.com/2018/01/13/your-brain-seahorses/

Home page. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://www.seahorseworlds.com/

About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher-about-us

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://www.dictionary.com/

Kennedy, J. (2019, January 14). What Do Seahorses Eat? Retrieved June 16, 2019, from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-do-seahorses-eat-2291410

Lined Seahorse. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2019, from https://www.chesapeakebay.net/S=0/fieldguide/critter/lined_seahorse

Bester, C. (2017, May 12). Hippocampus erectus. Retrieved June 16, 2019, from https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/hippocampus-erectus/

Seahorse Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2019, from https://www.theseahorsetrust.org/seahorse-facts/

Seahorse Predators. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://www.seahorseworlds.com/seahorse-predators/

"Seahorses." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. . Retrieved June 15, 2019 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/seahorses

"Gasterosteiformes (Sticklebacks, Seahorses, and Relatives)." Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. . Retrieved June 13, 2019 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/gasterosteiformes-sticklebacks-seahorses-and-relatives

Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: E7720. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720. (edition date - 7/23/2005). Lined Seahorse. doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f

Meyer, R. (1998). Estimates of Shrimp Trawl Bycatch of Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) in the Gulf of Mexico. Fishery Stock Assessment Models,817-840. doi:10.4027/fsam.1998.45

Save Our Seahorses. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2018, from https://www.theseahorsetrust.org/conservation/save-our-seahorses/

Pelton, T. (n.d.). Lined Seahorse. Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/more-than-just-the-bay/chesapeake-wildlife/the-lined-seahorse-a-rare-romantic.html

Lined Sea Horse. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://scaquarium.org/our-animals/lined-sea-horse/

unknown (n.d) Lined Seahorse Hippocampus erectus. Lined Seahorse Hippocampus erectuspdf. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from http://www.turrell-associates.com/media/docs/Lined%20Seahorse-AH.pdf

Amazing Facts about Seahorses | OneKindPlanet Animal Education. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://onekindplanet.org/animal/seahorse/

10 Fun Facts About Seahorses - AquaViews - leisurepro.com. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://www.leisurepro.com/blog/explore-the-blue/10-fun-facts-about-seahorses/

Seahorse facts for kids. (2018, June 25). Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://www.natgeokids.com/nz/discover/animals/sea-life/seahorse-facts/

Seahorse, P. (n.d.). Northern seahorse. Retrieved June 18, 2019, from https://www.iseahorse.org/Taxa/Details/54540

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Lined Seahorse Lesson plan

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