News / Animals
Herd of seahorses born at Bristol Aquarium
A herd of around 70 tiny seahorses have been born at Bristol Aquarium.
The babies are lined seahorses, and like all of their species it was their dad who gave birth to them via a special pouch on his stomach.
“The parents have been displaying to each other and taking part in courtship rituals for several weeks now,” said Bristol Aquarium’s Rachel Farquhar.
is needed now More than ever
The seahorse is unusual in the animal kingdom in that it is the male rather than the female which carries the babies and gives birth to them.
The female seahorse lays her eggs in the male’s pouch. He then fertilises them and incubates them until they are ready to emerge.
In the wild, virtually all of the 35 species of seahorse are now under threat from reasons including loss of habitat, pollution, the souvenir trade and traditional Far East medicine – believed to account for the deaths of more than 20 million seahorses annually.
The lined seahorses at Bristol Aquarium are part of a captive-breeding programme which aims to ease the pressure on wild populations.
Read more: Jelly babies arrive at Bristol Aquarium
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