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Seahorse The horse of the oceans Maite Mascar Nuno Sim es Gemma Mart nez Illustrated by Alberto Guerra
Seahorse The horse of the oceans
Seahorse The horse of the oceans Maite Mascar Nuno Sim es Gemma Mart nez Seahorse The horse of the oceans Additional product not committed but related to the projects This publication was produced with the support and funding of the projects CONACyT Ciencia B sica 101610 Dr Maite Mascar CONACyT SEMARNAT 108285 Dr Nuno Sim es DGAPA UNAM PAPIIT IN208009 Dr Maite Mascar First edition 2015 ISBN D R Biodiversidad Marina de Yucat n 2014 Universidad Nacional Aut noma de M xico Unidad Acad mica Sisal Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigaci n Facultad de Ciencias Puerta de abrigo s n Sisal Hunucm Yucat n CP 97356 Idea concept and scientific review Maite Mascar Nuno Sim es Gemma Mart nez Design interior and cover illustration Alberto Guerra The partial or total reproduction of the book is forbidden in any way without the authorization in writing from the owner of the property rights Maite Mascar Nuno Sim es Gemma Mart nez Illustraded by Alberto Guerra Printed and made in Mexico M rida Yucat n M xico 2015 UNAM
The first rays of sun are shining through the shallow waters of the lagoons filling with light the environment where seahorses live With a head that reminds you of a horse and a body protected by armour made of bone the seahorse stays straight while holding on to marine vegetation with its tail Seahorses are fish even though they only have one dorsal fin two little pectoral fins and a hole that looks like a belly button A belly button Noooo It s the opening of the pouch
A pouch Yes Male seahorses have a small sack on their front where they keep their eggs from the moment they are fertilized until they are born as new seahorses For the birth to occur the male must coils his tail and strongly contracts his muscles releasing a few hundred seahorses which are expelled like jets of water The newborns have the same body shape as their parents but much smaller Their body is not even as big as your pinkie nail
From an early age seahorses strengthen their tail muscles by curling them around each other in small groups amusingly floating around From the moment they are born seahorses capture their prey by sucking them whole in subtle movements They do not have teeth instead they suck in their food thanks to a long snout and a lower lip that closes like a lid Seahorses feed on tiny crustaceans detecting them with the movement of their eyes which move independently from one another and do not have eyelids Like the ones chameleons have
In the shallow lagoons the temperature drastically changes throughout the day and the water s salinity varies depending on the season For over millions of years seahorses have changed little by little adapting to resist these variations Thanks to this evolution they can live on the submerged grass of the lagoons where they can find abundant food and can hide from voracious predators such as crabs and fish
As they grow up juveniles reach their adult size Males and females look alike but males start developing their pouch Even though they are not great swimmers the little seahorses are dragged along the sea currents and can reach territories that are quite far from the place where they were born
The fishing of other marine species using trawling nets affects the natural populations of seahorses as they get trapped in these nets by accident
Pollution and garbage accumulated in the water degrades aquatic environments destroying the habitat where seahorses and other marine organisms live seriously threatening their survival Together we need to help protect them Fishing seahorses is forbidden because it diminishes their population in the wild and along with it their chances of finding a mate to reproduce with
Some seahorse species live in coral reefs On the big coral heads seahorses share their habitat with a vast number of species of very diverse shapes and colours These fish anchor their tails and point their snout downwards in order to stay on the bottom while resting during the long hours of darkness Straightening their body and using their pectoral fins seahorses can swim upwards toavoid the anemones stinging tentacles
To compensate for their slow swimming seahorses are masters in the art of disguise This allows them to camouflage changing their body coloration to match their surroundings When they are camouflaged they can hide from predators such as groupers octopuses and moray eels In the same population seahorses can have very different colours such as red orange green black white or brown
When the mating season gets closer it is common to find adults in groups where there are always more females than males Courtship is more frequent during sunrise and sunset and it can last a few days
During courtship a males raises his chest and lowers his head showing his pouch to the female he also follows the female and holds her with his tail While courting seahorses change colours their pouch and their upper tail switch to a shiny white colour
When the female is ready to transfer her eggs to the male she raises her snout and swims upwards The male follows her wheeling around her until they face each other Then the female deposits her matured eggs in the male s pouch which are simultaneously fertilized by his sperm
After receiving the last egg the male closes his pouch and does not open it again until their offspring is born The pouch has several functions during the development of the small embryos In addition to its protective quality its interior has nourishing substances and others that prevent infections While embryos are developing the pair of future parents repeat some of the courtship phases on a daily basis such as moving around the bottom griping each other with their tail
Embryos take around 10 to 40 days to become little seahorses ready to come out of the eggs the length depends on the species and the water temperature Immediately after expelling the last seahorse the male starts courting the closest female he can find Of all the seahorses born in each litter only a few survive to become adults The ones that make it will reproduce completing the cycle of life
Do you know that there are four species of seahorses in Mexico There are three in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea and one in the Pacific Ocean All the species of the genus Hippocampus are protected by mexican and international laws and it is forbidden to fish and sell them without the appropriate permits
With international agreements each country reports the species in their territory thatare endangered to the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN and they get included in the Red List Mexico includes four seahorse species that are in this category and are defined below In each case their distribution map is shown Lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus Reaching 20 cm in length this seahorse is the largest of the species found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea It has a short snout that is usually half its head s length Individuals can have one or two cheek spines Their colour is variable it can be grey brown orange yellow red or black They generally have a characteristic pattern of white lines along their necks They live in lagoons although they may also be found on coral reefs or anchored to seaweed on the seafloor This species is distributed in the Atlantic ocean from the North of the United States to the South of Brazil Dwarf seahorse Hippocampus zosterae This is a little seahorse that barely reaches 2 5 cm in length almost as long as one of your fingers It only has 9 to 10 rings on its body and 31 to 32 rings on its tail Its snout is very short and tends to present thin spines all around its body It can be beige yellow green or black with speckles or spots It prefers living on seagrass beds specially during summer It is only known inside the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas Pacific seahorse Hippocampus ingens The largest of the seahorses found in Mexico reaching up to 31 cm long It only has one little spine over its eyes Females usually have a dark patch on their belly These seahorses can show a wide range of colours They like living anchored to soft and hard corals sponges seaweed and rocks They are distributed in the Pacific ocean from the South of the United States to Peru Slender seahorse Hippocampus reidi Thinner that its cousin the Lined seahorse and with a much longer snout the Slender seahorse can grow up to 17 5 cm in length It usually has two spines on top of its eyes and many brown or white little spots on its tail It likes mangrove roots seagrass beds seaweed oyster banks and artificial structures in river mouths It is distributed in the Atlantic ocean from the United States to Brazil
Glossary Coral reefs Marine ecosystems consisted of animal colonies called corals which produce calcareous skeletons similar to cement Corals can only live in shallow tropical seas where the water is clean and the bottom is hard Courtship A series of movements that a male and a female repeat when they are about to mate and reproduce Crustaceans Group of aquatic animals such as shrimp crab and lobster that have a body protected by a shell which changes as they grow Dorsal fin Fin located on the top of the dorsum or back of fish Embryo The first stage of development of multicellular organisms from the fertilization until the egg hatches or leaves the uterus of the mother Evolution Process that explains how organisms have changed over generations from their ancient ancestors Evolution is responsible for the similarities and differences of all living beings fossil or present Habitat Environment with the proper conditions for a species to live and reproduce ensuring their survival in the planet Lagoon Body of water not too salty or sweet that stays separate from the sea by a barrier of sand which offers plentiful of food and refugee for youngsters of many marine species Pectoral fins A pair of fins located on both sides of fish behind the gills right wheretheir heads end Population Group of organisms of the same species that live at the same time in the same place interacting and reproducing with each other Sperm A whitish and viscous liquid containing the spermatozoids and substances that surround them It is produced in the male reproductive system of all animals Stinging tentacles Elongated and flexible organs of animals like sea anemones and octopuses used to trap their prey In jellyfish and sea anemones the tentacles have cells that produce toxic substances that provoke itchiness and a burning sensation You can find more information on seahorses in the project Encyclopedia of Life https eol org pages 46567766 website in English If you find a seahorse take a picture put it back in the ocean and make sure to upload the picture to the website that records the distribution of seahorses it is very easy https www iseahorse org website in English If you wish to learn more about the efforts in seahorse conservation check out https www projectseahorse org website in English To obtain specific information of Mexico and in Spanish check out the website of the Seahorse Project ambassadors in Mexico http piecemo sisal unam mx website in Spanish
Take a dip in the shallow tropical waters of the Yucat n Peninsula s lagoons and coral reefs swim along seaweed seagrass beds corals and sponges to discover the secret lives of seahorses Submerge yourself into the colourful world of these charismatic animals that have fascinated humans since ancient times and learn curious details of their biology and cycle of life UNAM