I Seahorses!

Story by Eden Washington, 6th grade FNN Reporter from Friendship PCS Online.  Photos from Google.

May 15, 2021.  I knew at some point during this Amazing Race I was going to get an opportunity to scuba dive.  Here I am in the Coral Sea, with my dive team...my dad.  All these years of swimming and learning exercises is finally paying off.  Mr. Washington is an experienced scuba diver and has been waiting for me to come of age so that my swimming skills were as strong as my survival skills. Now that I’ve got my wet soon and oxygen tank on, we’re diving in.  

Let’s see if you can wrap your mind around this concept.  Did you know that seahorses and their close relatives, sea dragons, are the only species in which the male gets pregnant and gives birth?  If you are like me, you may wonder how or why this is possible, and what role does the female seahorse play in the procreation process?  According to the National Ocean Service, “After completing an elaborate courtship dance that may go on for hours or days, the female seahorse transfers her mature eggs into the male’s brood pouch, where they are fertilized.  At the end of a gestation period, usually lasting two to four weeks, the pregnant male’s abdominal area begins to undulate rhythmically, and strong muscular contractions eject from a few dozen to as many as 1,000 fully formed baby seahorses into the surrounding water.  After that, the offspring must fend for themselves.  Large litters are necessary because only about 0.5 percent will survive to adulthood.”  

Another interesting attribute about these pipefish is that they have specialized structures in their skin cells called chromatophores which allow the mostly sessile seahorses to change color to mimic their surroundings.  This ability provides security and allows them to blend in easily with their surroundings as they cling to stalks of seagrass.  

As such, you can swim past them easily because they are very difficult to spot.  Seahorses spend a lot of time in one area by wrapping their tale around underwater plants or coral.  Don’t let their small stature and unassuming appearance fool you, seahorses are also one of the deadliest creatures in the sea.  According to Treehugger.com, “The seahorse is a shockingly good hunter.  It turns out the trick is in the very movements that make us think it is a harmless, cute, kind of clumsy critter.  When we look at a seahorse, we see a creature that barely seems to move—it seems to drift more, or float with the current.  But that very slow movement allows it to sneak up on prey undetected, since it barely disturbs the water around it.  Then with lightning-fast movement of its head, the prey is in the sea horse's mouth before anyone but the seahorse realizes what just happened”.  Seahorses strike their prey with 90% accuracy, yet they are no match for meddling humans as they have become endangered creatures.``  

Here is something humans can wrap their minds around.  While we are figuring out how to sustain ourselves, by going plant based, perhaps we should leave all other animal species to themselves and not use them for trinkets. Seahorses have no problem replicating their species, but as deadly as they can be, they are no match for predator humans.     

Eden Washington is a 6th scholar at Friendship Public Charter School Online.