Family: Syngnathidae, Pipefishes view all from this family

Description To 5" (13 cm). Head perpendicular to vertical body; body portion deep, compressed. Coloration changes with background: light brown, dusky, gray, blackish, or brick-red; unmarked or variously mottled; sometimes speckled with fine white or golden dots. Dorsal fin fan-shaped; tail prehensile, without caudal fin.

Related Species Dwarf Seahorse (H. zosterae) grows to 3" (7.5 cm), body green to blackish; occurs in similar habitat in Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Habitat Usually associated with vegetation such as eelgrasses and sargassum.

Range From Nova Scotia to Argentina; Bermuda and Gulf of Mexico.

Discussion Seahorses are poor swimmers and depend on their camouflage both to hide from enemies and conceal themselves from prey. They blend so well into their background that the casual observer rarely sees them. They feed by rapid intake of water. The incubation period in the marsupium is thought to be about 2 weeks.