| Giraffe seahorse | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conservation status | |
 Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1) | |
| CITES Appendix II (CITES) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Syngnathiformes |
| Family: | Syngnathidae |
| Genus: | Hippocampus |
| Species: | H. camelopardalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Hippocampus camelopardalis Bianconi, 1854 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The giraffe seahorse (Hippocampus camelopardalis) is a species of fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in coastal waters off of the south and east coasts of Africa, from South Africa to Tanzania, and possibly north to Kenya. It lives in estuarine seagrass beds, algae beds, and shallow reefs to depths of 45 metres (148 ft), where it can grow to lengths of 10 centimetres (3.9 in). It is expected to feed on small crustaceans, similar to other seahorses. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs in a brood pouch before giving birth to live young. Individuals are sexually mature at around 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in). Major threats to this species could be habitat loss, through coastal development and pollution, and overexploitation through bycatch. Some other threats include human use by drying out the seahorse for traditional medicine or as a curio.
Some distinctive characteristics include dark spots, one on the top of the coronet or crown of the seahorse's head and some on the dorso-lateral surface of the seahorse. It has a prominent spine above its eye in both the female and male specimen.
References
- ^ Pollom, R. (2017). "Hippocampus camelopardalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T10064A100939136. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T10064A100939136.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Hippocampus camelopardis". FishBase. February 2018 version.
- Scales, Helen (2009). Poseidon's Steed: The Story of Seahorses, From Myth to Reality. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-101-13376-7. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ Lourie, S.A., A.C.J. Vincent and H.J. Hall, 1999. Seahorses: an identification guide to the world's species and their conservation. Project Seahorse, London. p.214
Further reading
- iNaturalist
- Encyclopedia of Life
- WoRMS
- iSeahorse
- IUCN Seahorse, Pipefish & Stickleback Specialist Group
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Hippocampus camelopardalis | |
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