seahorse #2, Hippocampus kuda [98K]
 The profile view shown here makes its gender identification easy-- females don't have a brood pouch for carrying the developing young (this one is female). For reproduction, the female deposits a long string of eggs into the male's brood pouch, where the developing brood is nurtured until the baby seahorses emerge, looking like miniatures of their parents, commonly 6-12 millimeters in length. Once born, the young seahorses receive no care from their parents, and are particularly vulnerable to predators.

This species is commonly known as the spotted seahorse, yellow seahorse, or estuary seahorse. It is characteristically smoother in appearance than most other species, of medium size, 7-17 cm (2.7-6.7 inches).

Identification: Hippocampus kuda

seahorse #5, Hippocampus kuda [62K]
one more view of H. kuda [62K]
back to seahorse index page back to Gallery IV


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