Featured Image Credit: Thinkstock
Seahorses are pretty cool guys to hang out with and we can convince you why in the next 3 minutes.
- There are 54 species of marine fish that belong to the genus Hippokampus, literally translated from Ancient Greek to mean horse + sea monster. That’s pretty rad.
- The dating scene is fast and furious. Seahorses can court for several days, yes days, as they synchronize their movements into what is known as a “predawn dance.” Yeah, buddy.
- Make sure you’re paying attention to that picture above. Did you notice that the male gestates the fertilized eggs? Pregnant males, folks. As the owner of a human uterus, I think that’s pretty fair.
- Most species birth between 100 to 1,000 babies, but some can carry as many as 2,500. Wowza.
- After birth, the male offers no care to the offspring. He can mate again with another seahorse within hours or days.
- The idea that seahorses are monogamous is a common misconception. Though many stick with their partners through the breeding season, most jump ship when the opportunity arises.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, seahorses are eaten as a method to cure impotence, wheezing, pain, and induce labor.
**There have been no scientific studies or clinical trials to prove or disprove the effectiveness of these treatments.**
- Seahorses use camouflage and patience to catch their prey, usually small crustaceans.
- The eyes of a seahorse move independently in a constant search for food, because they’re eating all the time. Welcome to my life.
- Seahorses are pretty clumsy swimmers. When caught in stormy seas, it’s possible for them to die of exhaustion.
- Seahorses are so bony, most sea predators do not like to eat them.
- And if you didn’t think they were adorable enough, they are known to prefer to swim in pairs with their tails hooked together.
H/T to Wikipedia for droppin’ that knowledge.