The seahorse or the hippocampus is located in the Mediterranean, on the east coast Atlantic and even the English Channel. This fish settle in places full of aquatic plants. It is about 15 cm long and has a head that forms a right angle with the body. This position coupled with its shape and taper of the body that remembers a long neck, gives it a curious resemblance to the head of a horse. It was to this similarity the animal its name. Its body is brown or blackish and covered with bony plates that seem to divide the animal into rings and form strong longitudinal ridges. The seahorse swims upright, pushed forward by the rapid vibration of the dorsal fin, while the vibration of the pectoral fins and tail movements are used for vertical displacements. The long prehensile tail, which usually leads coiled forward, is devoid of fins and is always ready to twist around the first algae that meets, after which the hippocampus explore the surrounding water looking for prey on which to launch quickly. The hippocampus has moving eyes and independent of each other, and is subject to change in color. Its power consists of small crustaceans, but also eat tiny animals that also collects on the leaves of Posidonia. In spring, male and female mating. The couple are facing one another until the female has introduced all the eggs, about 200 eggs in a few seconds, gradually fertilized by the male, incubation in the bag that he carries under the tail and which is provided, at the top, a small opening. Eggs come from tiny embryos, and 60 days after spawning, the male, with vigorous contortions, expel the little ones, a dozen of millimeters long, thin and transparent.
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