10 Facts About Seahorses … and how to help them

1.  Their scientific name, “Hippocampus” comes from the Ancient Greek word hippos meaning “horse” and kampos meaning “sea monster”.

2.  Even though they are fish they are really poor swimmers and can often die of exhaustion in storms. They also might just hang around clinging onto to a piece of seaweed or eelgrass for a few days just resting.

3.  It’s the males who give birth…yep its true! The female seahorse pops the eggs into the male and he waits out the gestation period and then contorts his body until the live young are pushed out. They even have contractions!

seahorse3myrealfairy

4.  Their eyes work independently of each other! One eye can look forward and the other back!

5.  The smallest seahorse is the Pygmy Seahorse and is around 2cm long and the largest is the Australian big-bellied Seahorse at around 35cm. However, there was a massive one caught in Poole, Dorset in 2015. It was thrown back unhurt which but was 34cm which is huge for a ‘spiny’ seahorse.

6.  You can keep up to date with local conservation to see how you can help out. In the U.K. there is a project close to where I am which is the Dorset Wildlife Trust. The Trust supports Seahorses and other marine life. Read here to learn about Studland Bay and the amazing conservation work the they carry out.

7.  It’s thought that they are at risk of extinction so what can we do to help? Well, firstly, steer clear of buying dried seahorses as souvenirs. Secondly, as they are used in some countries as herbal medicines, it’s best to try to find an alternative product so that using them starts to get less and less profitable. Thirdly, do not buy as pets for aquariums as they may of been taken from the wild and imported to the UK.

blueseahorse.myrealfairy.com

8.  Seahorses are thought to hold magic qualities and there are stories of them wrapping their tail around people’s fingers and emitting a healing feeling to the person. This is the tale of folklore and not certified

9.  There are organisations and charities who assist in the conservation of seahorses, there are some pointers below if you wish to become more involved in areas of marine life conservation.

Seahorses, have now been listed as endangered under the United Nations Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species. They are also protected under U.K. law.

10.  There are further folklore tales of dried seahorses being used as good luck charms to assist in the production of breast milk for nursing mothers. Thankfully this was rare. Many cultures see it as a carnation from the seas gods and link it with strength and power.

A couple of additional links which I found useful are below.

http://www.projectseahorse.org

http://www.blueoceannetwork.com

http://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

I must also thank Emma Rance, Marine Conservation Officer with the Dorset Wildlife Trust in assisting with the factual accuracy of the post. Not the folklore aspect of course.

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35 thoughts on “10 Facts About Seahorses … and how to help them”

  1. My daughter and I love seahorses. I’m definitely showing this to her when she gets home! Visiting you back from #KCACOLS, and I stumbled your post!

    1. Thank you so much Shelly:) so glad you popped by and thanks also for the stumble X

  2. This is so interesting! I’ve never really known anything about them, except that the males give birth, including that they are at risk of extinction. Hope the conservation efforts are successful in protecting them. #KCACOLS

    1. There seems to be lots of work going on that I never knew about, its great that there are projects around. thanks for your comments x

  3. Oh they are just mesmerising aren’t they. I loved this post. Magical creatures with so many amazing qualities. Thanks for researching! #KCACOLS

  5. They are so magical looking aren’t they. I hate hearing of animals and sea creatures that are endangered, we need to make sure this doesn’t happen #mg

    1. Yes, they are amazing and I learnt so much writing this. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment x

  6. Damn there’s a lot about seahorses that I didn’t know. I think they’re so beautiful looking. Love that it’s the male who has the kiddies 🙂 #KCACOLS

  7. I really enjoyed this post. Very refreshing to read something like this in the day. Sea animals are just amazing. I wish human males could give birth haha #KCACOLS

  8. Such an interesting article – thank you for sharing! What amazing little creatures! Our little man loved to point them out at the aquarium! #KCACOLS

  9. It makes me so sad to know that seahorses are endangered. I’ve always been drawn to watching them, they are such graceful little beings, and I hope they stay around for a long, long time. I also had NO idea it was the males who gave birth-how interesting! I wonder if there are other animals where the birthing is up to the men. Thanks for dropping some knowledge, it was very interesting <3 #KCACOLS

  11. I never predicted that I’d end up reading about seahorses on a parental blog, but they are fascinating creatures and I really enjoyed learning about them. thank you. Pen x #KCACOLS

    1. Always pleased to throw a curve ball:) glad you enjoyed it:) X thanks for taking the time to comment

  12. im completely inspired to now do a fun food post around sea horses! I was planning one for world ocean day a few weeks back but it all got a bit complex :/ #KCACOLS

  15. Very interesting facts here. I like the folklore tales of them healing, wouldn’t that be amazing if it could be proven 🙂

    1. Thanks:) yes I love the way so many facts have little folklore stories buried deep somewhere. Thanks for commenting x

  16. Seahorses are beautiful, I used to spend ages watching the ones at the Sealife Centre when I was a kid 🙂 #KCACOLS

  17. I do like Seahorses 🙂 They are quite pretty to look at. How sad that they are on the endangered list. I’ve never heard of any folklore tales about them before either. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday.

  18. This so spoke to the teacher in me, ha! Love it, the photos and facts are awesome. I think I remember reading the male gave birth but of course every woman loves that idea 😉 #KCACOLS

  19. Fabulous! We’ve seen seahorses a few times at aquariums and always found them fascinating. I really enjoyed all of your facts, and the folklore. Thanks also for the links to conservation. #KCACOLS

    1. You’re welcome, thanks for your comments and glad you enjoyed the facts:)

  21. My son loves seahorses. In fact he made a joke up about one:

    Him: What lives under the sea and says ‘neigh’?
    Me: Ah I know this one. Is it a seahorse?
    Him: No. It’s a horse that lives under the sea

    #KCACOLS

  22. I love seahorses! I also have fond memories of Studland Bay as a child (not the nudist beach haha) and love holidaying in Dorset. I didn’t realise there were seahorses on this coast though (although apparently my mum did. We’re staying over and this is a hot topic). #KCACOLS

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