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Dance Partners

A female seahorse slowly floats

over to her mate, greeting the

other seahorse with a gentle

side bump. The pair twist and

twirl around each other, entwin-

ing their tails and even changing

color to match one another. It

appears the two are dancing,

and in a way, they are.

Seahorses and pipefish

start each day by swimming

with their mate for a few min-

utes. The ritual creates a bond

between the two partners,

building the trust needed to

pass off their eggs.

During the breeding season,

the mates are never far apart.

But more solitary sea dragons

come together only for an hours-

long dance, which ends with

the female passing off her eggs.

Find each animal listed

below in the pictures,

then write the letter of

the correct photo next

to each animal’s name.

You’d be lucky to spot

any member of this fish

family: Sea dragons,

pipefish, and seahorses

are experts in camouflage.

“One of the best options

if you’re slow, small, and

tasty is to hide from the

animals that want to eat

you,” De Brauwer says.

Long and skinny pipe-

fish appear like a blade of

seagrass. Seahorses can

change the color of their

skin to match the corals

and plants that their

tails wrap around. And

leafy sea dragons blend

in so well with their

brown-and-green color-

ing that their slow move-

ments look like just

another piece of seaweed.

pygmy seahorse

leafy sea dragon

Pontoh’s pygmy

seahorse

lined seahorse

White’s seahorse

double-ended

pipefish

ANSWERS ON PAGE 35

FIND THE

HIDDEN ANIMALS

D

They’re Great at

Hide-and-Seek

These animals
can move
their eyes in
opposite
directions.

They Might Need Swim Lessons

Most fish easily swim through the seas with swishing tails and forceful fins. But seahorses,

sea dragons, and pipefish aren’t strong swimmers—instead, they often move slowly to

their destination. These fish have one delicate, transparent fin on their back plus two

more fins on the side of their neck. (Some species also have a little fin at the base of their

tails.) These tiny appendages allow them to move and steer in the water. “They certainly

aren’t the greatest swimmers,” De Brauwer says. But it’s no problem—these animals don’t

need to swim fast or far, preferring to spend their lives in sheltered, usually calm waters

near mangrove roots, seagrass beds, and coral reefs.

FACE

BANDED

PIPEFISH

LINED

SEAHORSES