Wildlife of the World
Puzzle 68 · Ocean Giants and Reef Life · Page 102 in print
Seahorse Meadows
Male seahorses carry eggs in a brood pouch and later give birth to the young. Research on potbellied seahorses has shown that fathers also transfer nutrients to their developing offspring.
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A longsnout seahorse holds itself upright beside marine growth.
Species reference for Seahorse Meadows. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) Pauline Walsh Jacobson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
A big-bellied seahorse shows another member of the seahorse genus.
Species reference for Seahorse Meadows. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) Emily Roberts, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The words
Bony Plates
Rings of bony plates encase the seahorse's body.
Brood
The female places eggs in the male's brood pocket.
Camouflage
Blending into its surroundings.
Colours and textures camouflage seahorses where they live.
Crustaceans
The seahorse sucks in small crustaceans with its snout.
Dorsal Fin
The seahorse swims mainly by beating its dorsal fin.
Hippocampus
The lined seahorse is Hippocampus erectus.
Knight
Its upright position and horse-like head make it resemble a chess knight.
Mangroves
Seahorses live among mangroves.
Meadows
Biscayne Bay, home to three seahorse species, holds seagrass meadows.
Pipefish
Seahorses belong to the pipefish and seahorse family.
Pouch
The young are carried in the male's pouch.
Pregnancy
Seahorses and their relatives are the only vertebrates with male pregnancy.
Seagrass
Seahorses live in seagrass beds.
Seahorse
A small fish with a horse-like head and a gripping tail, often living among plants in shallow water.
Tail
The seahorse holds on with its prehensile tail.
Sources
- seahorseanimaldiversity.org
- Seahorse Meadows (source capture)Seattle Aquarium
- Seahorse Meadows (source capture)Project Seahorse (conservation organisation article)
- Seahorse Meadows (source capture)University of Sydney (university news release)