Seahorse Topics

Classification | Seahorse conservation | Anatomy | Reproduction

Anatomy

Seahorse Anatomy gizmo, detailed interactive anatomy lesson, from Secrets of the Seahorse, from the Birch Aquarium. .

The sea horse physiology web site. This is a great website and was created for the class Animal Physiology (Michael Dorcas, Davidson College). Focuses on topics like physiology, structure and size, excretion, reproduction and conservation. Then there's New Research in Sea Horse Excretion!

Classification

A Quick ID Guide for the Hobby's Most Common Seahorses by Christopher Burns. Handy, "brief and simple identification guide."

Interactive classification demo for gasterosteiformes. Simple, without scientific names. From Birch Aquarium, Secrets of the Seahorse.

Classiciation/taxonomy of Sygnathidae (seahorses and pipefish), from Animal Diversity (UMich).

Seahorse conservation

Audio: New laws protecting sea horses article/interview by Mike Corkill, talking with NSW Fisheries Threatened Species Manager Bill Talbot.

Seahorses in Chinese medicine from The sea horse physiology web site (Davidson College).

PDF: "Saving the Seahorse" by Dawn Hanna, Vancouver Courier (made available by Fisheries Centre, University of BC). Long, disturbing article.

"The toilet seat was definitely the worst. There, embedded in an eternal tomb of clear lucite, along with seashells, plastic plants and faux fish, were five seahorses. Hardly a fitting end for one of nature's marine marvels. And it could have been mine for a mere $89.99 US."

Saving Seahorses, from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Detailed, engaging site, emphasizing conservation, but including species profiles. See the section Seahorses in Peril for images of seahorses packaged for traditional Asian medicine. The physical expedition is closed, but the site remains.

Seahorse survival info from "shades, seahorses and sea dragons."

PDF: "Beautiful and Bizarre: Lovely sea horse losing ground" by Ivona Lerman, Daytona Beach News (made available by Fisheries Centre, University of BC). Detailed report on declining seahorse numbers and the causative factors.

"Will banning seahorse trade save the species?" Ming Pao Daily (made available by Fisheries Centre, University of BC).

PDF: "The plight of the Indian sea horse" , article by R.A Sreepada, Ulhas M. Desai and Sushant Naik for Current Science, Vol. 82, No. 4, 25 February 2002. The article talks about the need for conservation and management of sea horses found near and around the Indian subcontinent waters.

Ocean rider sea horse conservation page. This page contains a lot of answers to conservation related questions.

Why Seahorses? from Project Seahorse. Many pages of conservation info.

"Seahorses Bred In Captivity Released Into Pulai River" by Marsha Tan for the The Star Online: Malaysia News (September 7, 2003). Courtesy the Florida Museum of Natural History, Ichthyology Department. See also this more full article, "Testing The Waters" by Hilary Chiew (February 3, 2004). The seahorse in question is the H. Kuda.

Reproduction

Conception, birth and sex role reversal from The sea horse physiology web site (Davidson College).

Animal Super-Dads on other "super-dads," from PBS's Kingdom of the Sea Horse. (Available on video from Amazon.)

Marine Mote Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, has a press reslease on one of their seahorses giving birth.

Photo of three-day-old sea horses from Aquarium Advice.