The Type of Environment the Pygmy Seahorse Needs

Many species of the pygmy seahorse, at just under an inch in size, went undetected for years thanks to the environment where it lives and its cunning ability to hide in that environment. Using remarkable camouflage, the pygmy seahorse blends in with its environment, adapting to the color and shape of coral reefs in such a way that it becomes nearly invisible.

  1. Host to Hide

    • The pygmy seahorse needs corals or sea fans to hide from predators. This tiny creature is almost entirely dependent on living in such an environment. Using its tiny tail, the pygmy seahorse attaches to the coral or sea fan, masterfully blending in with its habitat. The coloring of pygmy seahorses is strikingly varied, from bright orange to pink, and with white dots to a shimmery blue.

    Water Conditions

    • The pygmy seahorse is typically found at water depths between 80 to 130 feet, where there are often strong underwater currents, making it difficult for scientists to study these creatures. In an article entitled "Plight of the Pygmy Seahorse," journalist Choo Chee Kuang writes that some unscrupulous businessmen have moved the tiny seahorses to shallower water depths, up to 60 feet deep, in order to attract business to dive resorts. But the creatures may be able to adapt; in 2011 scientists discovered a rare species of the pygmy seahorse for the first time in Australian waters -- at a shocking depth of 335 feet, where there is hardly any light.

    Location

    • Shallow, warm waters, such as those found in the Western Pacific, are where most pygmy seahorses have been discovered, in areas from Southern Japan to Northern Australia. Surprisingly, recreational divers and not scientists are the ones who are discovering new species. The "Walea seahorse," named after an island in central Sulawesi, Indonesia, was found by divers and underwater photographers, and the "Severns' Pygmy Seahorse," named after diver Mike Severns, was also discovered in 2008 by divers who later had scientists verify their findings.

    Behavior

    • Once a pygmy seahorse is given birth by its father, it is on its own and does not stray far from where it came into the world. In fact, due to the seahorse's small size, its inability to swim well and its need to stay attached to the coral reef environment where it was born, these seahorses live in small clusters of up to 20 adults. The environment into which it was born will be where it spends its entire life, from a youngster to breeding adult.