Purple seahorse

I must admit, when I was young, I thought the seahorse to be a mythical animal like a dragon or a unicorn. I was very surprised to learn that I was completely wrong.

I took these pictures at the Bayworld aquarium in Port Elizabeth.

The seahorse is actually from the species of small marine fishes. The scientific name is Hipocampus which comes from a greek word meaning sea monster, however I think the seahorse looks far from a monster.

The seahorse can change its color and shape to mimic its environment. Looking at the purple color of the seahorse in the picture it had no intention of blending in with the environment, on the contrary I think it wanted to be seen and stand out!!

Due to its ability to change color, scientists are not clear on how many different spesies exists. The estimate varies from 20 to 200!!

Seahorses mate for life and the male bears the to be born young! How weird is this?

The Cape seahorse is the most endangered species and are found in place such as the Knysna lagoon.

It does not seem that the seahorse move alot, but it is said that it is a lightning fast hunter after sneaking up to its prey un noticed.

When I look at the seahorse it looked a bit clumsy and out of control but one should not be fooled.

I stood mesmerized at the tank for about 10 minutes staring at these amazing purple creatures.

Cheers 🍻🍻🍻
I took the photos with my iPhone.