West African Seahorse

Photo: Badjie Basen · © all rights reserved

The West African seahorse is endemic to the region and finds ideal habitat in Canhabaque's seagrass beds and soft coral margins, using its prehensile tail to anchor against gentle currents while ambushing passing shrimp and copepods. It is a species of conservation concern across most of its range due to habitat loss and collection for traditional medicine, making the Bijagós population particularly valuable. Patient macro divers scanning holdfast algae and seagrass stems in the shallows around the reef edges are rewarded with sightings of this cryptic and charismatic fish.