When I was young, I used to dream about riding sea horses. What kid doesn’t? When I learned that sea horses are really small I was disappointed. How could I have been so deceived? Well, I may not be able to bridle up, but my fascination with these beautiful creatures has only increased as I have learned more about them.
Now, I knew sea horses were small, but I didn’t learn how small they could be until I saw my first Pygmy seahorse. These guys are so small they were only discovered recently. They measure only a few millimeters up to about half an inch in length.
Denise Pygmy Seahorse
Pygmy sea horses are well camouflaged, taking on the color and texture of the gorgonian fans they live on. Can you imagine growing warts just to match your house?
The common seahorses are a little bigger than pygmy’s but you still can’t put a saddle on them. They measure anywhere from a few inches up to a foot long.
Perhaps my favorite sea horse fun fact is that the male carries and gives birth to the young. Yep. That’s cool.
Sea horses are found on the bottom of the sea and like to hide themselves among debris, although they are also found clinging to gorgonian fans.
Another fun fact is that sea horses don’t have eyelids. They can’t close their eyes. Their mouths are always open as well.
It may have been a childhood fantasy to ride a sea horse, but that fantasy seems to have been fulfilled in a more exciting way. Just observing them and taking their photograph is enough to have this underwater cowgirl shouting Yippi Kiyay Kiyo!
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