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seahorse_15

This male pot-bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis) seems to have a coloration scheme like a giraffe. Unlike many other seahorses, potbellies seem to have smooth, waxy skin, without the deep pores or rough texture characteristic of some species. Many casual observers seeing a group of potbellies think they must be all be pregnant males. The bloated appearance is normal for both the male and female, though mature males have a prominent, usually white brood pouch, and more dark blotches. A brood may number from an average of about 300 to as many as 700 offspring. Gestation varies with temperature, but averages around 28 days.

About this image

Identification: Hippocampus abdominalis (large seahorse)
Location: aquarium specimen, not recorded
Contributors: Jeffrey N. Jeffords
photographer copyright holder identification
Subjects: Subject Live Animal; Type Photo; Anatomy coloration/patterning disruptive coloration (spots/stripes); Anatomy male; Life Stages and Gender adult/sexually mature; Anatomy coloration/patterning cryptic

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Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License .

To cite this page: Jeffords, J. 2004. "seahorse_15.jpg" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed {%B %d, %Y} at https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/jeffrey_jeffords/fish/seahorse_15/

Last updated: 2004-35-14 / Generated: 2025-09-15 02:01