Pacific Seahorse

Pacific Seahorse in Costa Rica

Seahorses are a type of fish that belong to the genus Hippocampus (derived from Greek words; hippos = horse, kampos= sea monster) of Syngnathidae family. Seahorse are known to vary in size, it ranges from a tiny length of 0.6 inches to an impressive 14 inches. They weigh around 7 ounces to 1 pound. Although seahorses are considered as fish, unlike them their bodies consist of bony plates with a thin skin stretched over them, instead of scales. Their distinctive necks are quite well-developed and pliable, a feature not shared by other fish, and the head of each seahorse bears a coronate, a crown like decoration.

Another unusual trait is that they swim upright rather than horizontally. They have long snouts that help in sucking up the food, and their eyes are independent of each other. They only have dorsal fins. Seahorse are acknowledged as the slowest swimmers among the fish, with a speed of only 150 centimeters per hour, which is why they are mostly found resting twirled around an object. Costa Rica is renowned for its biodiversity. A massive range of sea life has been discovered dwelling in all depths of salt water. The Pacific Coast of Costa Rica attracts a lot of divers, tourists and marine researches due to its biological diversity.

Seahorse Photo

Seahorse Photo - by Laszlo Ilyes

A specific type of seahorse, Pacific Seahorse (Hippocampus Ingens) is quite common to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Guatemala, Peru, United Sates and Mexico. It’s regarded as one of the largest seahorse. Its height is 5.1 to 7.5 inches with approximately 40 rings. When it comes to colors and patterns, they can be reddish-maroon, golden, orange, yellow, brown or grey in color, with a fine set of markings that run vertically down their bodies. They are common in offshore waters, coastal waters and water of tropical temperate at the shallow depth of 2 meters to 30 meters. They usually dwell in coral reefs. The Pacific Seahorse have a camouflaging property and are found disguised as algae and reefs.

The Pacific Seahorses feed on planktons and crustaceans like mysids that are found in the bottom. They are active both at night and daytime. In the wild, their average life span ranges from one to five years. Before reproduction, male seahorse courts the female seahorse. There is a famous pre-dawn dance where the seahorses perform synchronized dance sequence and utter musical notes. The male has a breeding pouch where the female deposit her eggs which are them fertilized and supported by the male until they hatch. About 100 to 200 minute replicas of seahorses are released during birth, out of which only 0.5% of them survive!

Where to Find Seahorses

The Pacific Seahorse is commonly found in reef beds, offshore waters and is often washed on to the surface. Bio-diverse places like Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Osa Peninsula, Nicoya Peninsula, Bat Island, and Drake Bay have them, but they can be quite rare, or at least, extremely difficult to sea because they are so well camouflaged and so good at hiding too. Carrying over sixty dive spots, Guanacaste is a well-known tourist spot for scuba diving and the dive spots just north of Playas del Coco are one of the best places to see them. Seahorses can also be found in Cocos Island, which is situated midway to the Pacific Coast, Drake Bay in Osa Peninsula, Catalina Islands and several other places!

Video of Pacific Seahorse

This is a pregnant male seahorse. The video was taken in 2012 in the Golfo de Papagayo.

References

http://www.vibrantsea.net/costa_rica.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_seahorse

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