Longsnout seahorse

Photo: mollylynch · CC BY-NC

The longsnout seahorse is the primary Caribbean seahorse species and an iconic inhabitant of seagrass beds and sheltered lagoons. Males carry fertilised eggs in a ventral brood pouch, experiencing true pregnancy and giving birth to fully formed miniature seahorses. They anchor to seagrass blades and gorgonians with their prehensile tails and ambush mysid shrimps and other small crustaceans with a rapid snout-strike that generates powerful suction. Their cryptic coloration — ranging from yellow to orange to black — makes them extremely difficult to spot without a trained eye.