The seahorse is a small species of vertebrate that is found in the tropical shallows and temperate waters around the world.
The seahorse's scientific genus name, Hippocampus which is derived from the Greek hippokampus (hippos, meaning “horse,” and kampos, meaning “sea monster”)
Seahorses are fish. They live in water, breath through gills and have a swim bladder.
Seahorses are elongate with rigid body armor and swim upright. Pectoral fins on the sides and a small dorsal fin on the back of a seahorse's body wave rapidly to move the seahorse through the water.
Lifespan of most seahorse species is between 1 and 5 years in the wild and in the captivity.
There are around 50 different species of seahorses.
Seahorses’ ability to change their
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Some seahorses, have a shape, size and color that allows them to blend in perfectly with their habitat. Others, change color to blend in with their surroundings.
Seahorses have excellent eyesight and their eyes are able to work independently on either side of their head. This means they can look forwards and backwards at the same time! This is particulartly useful as they hunt for food by sight.
Seahorses have a prehensile tail.A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to be able to grasp or hold objects.
Although they are fish, seahorses are not great swimmers. In fact, they prefer to rest in one area, sometimes holding on to the same coral or seaweed for days.
Seahorses make noise! Seahorses make noises that can be heard underwater similar to the sound of smacking your lips. They make them during feeding and courtship.
Seahorses have no teeth and no stomach. Food passes through their digestive systems so quickly, they must eat almost constantly to stay alive.
Seahorses feed on plankton, small fish and small crustaceans such as shrimp and copepods. An adult eats 30-50 itmes a day. Seahorse fry (baby seahorses) eat a staggering 3000 pieces of food per
Study done from the available fossils show that the body of Liopleurodon was very streamlined and adapted to swimming. Its body had four limbs which were paddle-like in shape. These paddle shaped limbs acted like propellers which made it
The reason as to why their fins become this way is because they simply do not have enough space to be able to swim around and the diet they are fed is an unhealthy one.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited "8 Reasons Orcas Don't Belong at SeaWorld" SeaWorld Of Hurt: Where Happiness Tanks. N.p., n.d. Web.
The Narwhal is a whale and is also known as the unicorn of the sea. It is in the family of bottlenose dolphins, orcas, and Belugas (World Wildlife Fund). The scientific name for the Narwhal is Monodon monoceros and it is Greek meaning one-tooth, one-horn. It can grow up to 13-16 feet in length and weighs almost 2 tons (4,000 pounds). The region they are usually located is around the Arctic waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. They are known as unicorns of the sea because they have a tusk, one of their teeth, coming out of the front of the skull. According to the World Wildlife fund (2014), “Males most commonly have tusks, and some may even have two. The tusk, which can grow as long as 10 feet, is actually an enlarged tooth.” The female does not usually grow tusks. The tusks are ivory, and that is one major reason why Narwhals are hunted since ivory is worth a lot of money.
The background of this article gives information that is necessary to understand the experiment. The shape of the pelvic girdle is an appropriate predictor of both phylogeny and movement in terrestrial vertebrates. However, in marine vertebrates, the gravitational forces typically applied to terrestrial pelvic girdles are not there and therefore have little impact on the shape of the girdle. Pelvic girdles of fish are generally not attached to the vertebrae and primarily are used as a place for muscles to attach and supporting of the fins. The authors discuss how in many cases the pelvic girdle could be removed and not result in any complications. However, there are some marine vertebrates that are capable of bottom walking on the ocean floor with their fins. In batoids, the pelvic fins are used for walking, which is when pelvic fins move in an alternating fashion, or punting, when both pelvic fins move at the same time. There is also augmented punting; this is when the vertebrate uses both the pectoral fins and the pelvic fins to generate more thrust, this action decreases the forces on the pelvic fins during a punt. While this locomotion would
A thin layer of skin grows over the exoskeleton, it is hairless and feels much like the skin of a dolphin.
A bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncates, has a streamlined body. A dolphin's outer skin layer (epidermis) is about 10 to 20 times thicker than the...
Unicorns are said to only be true in fairy tales, however, there are real unicorns swimming in the oceans today. One of the most interesting yet particularly weird animals living on this planet would have to be the Narwhal, or the unicorn of the sea. The Narwhal is a whale that lives in the Arctic and because of its seclusion to the northern seas, this whale remains a mystery to most people. The Narwhal is in the kingdom Animalia and in the phylum Chordata, which means that it is an animal that has a backbone. The Narwhal is in the class mammalia meaning that it is a mammal, giving birth and nursing its young.
domestic horses (equus caballus). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(3), 947-951. doi:10.1073/pnas.0809127105
The diet is eating fish or squid because of their beak and
This happens sometimes during migrations. The scientific name for a Beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas (bing).
The morphology of whale sharks is mostly similar to aquatic fish species, but many specific traits help differentiate them from the rest. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world and can reach a size of around 20 meters (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). This is often compared to the size of a school bus. The shark has a very large transverse mouth. They have 5 very large gill slits and have a larger first dorsal fin compared to the second one (Whale Shark). They have a distinctive spotted “checkerboard” pattern with stripes (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). It is not exactly known why they have this specific body marking. It is believed that the body markings act as a camouflage. The strange thing about whale sharks is that they have 300 rows of teeth that play no role in feeding (Martins, C., and C. Knickle).
They use this for camouflage against predators. When predators look up from underwater, their white bellies blend in with the skies, and when predators look down from the sky their black back blends in with the surrounding water. Approximately one
Their habitat is the sea floor where they find meals and the sea surface where they socialize with the other otters.
Humpback whales breath voluntarily, unlike humans. Since they have to remember to breath, researchers believe humpbacks sleep by shutting off half of their brain at a time. Like orcas and dolphins, humpback whales have noses at the top of their head called blowholes (Animal Planet). Humpback whale calves do not stop growing until they are ten years old (National Geographic). They breed, give birth and care for their newborn calves in the warm waters of Tonga. Instead of teeth, humpbacks have baleen plates, they are brush-like strands of bristle that trap there food until it is swallowed. They have very odd mouths that curve downwards, like an eternal frown. Humpback whales are amazing marine mammals (Big Animal Expeditions)
Did you know in the world there are more than 90 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises? (WDC) The dolphin is a very important animal to the ocean and there are many different types to discover. In order to learn about dolphins, it is important to discuss where they live, their appearance, and what they eat. Some helpful words to understand are “dorsal fin”, a dorsal fin is the top pointed fin on the dolphins back, “flippers”, a flipper is a flat fin that dolphins use to swim, and “echolocation” is a tool dolphins use to find food by sounds bouncing off of objects (dictionary.com).