Syngnathidae

The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a species of fish that exhibits a wide range of morphological variation within its subspecies, which typically fit into two categories, anadromous (spawn in freshwater, migrate from saltwater) and freshwater varieties. Saltwater marine varieties of the fish typically have two dorsal spines, along with a pelvic spine. These spines, as studies have shown, act as a defense mechanism against soft-mouthed predators, by increasing the diameter of the fish making it more of a challenge to swallow, thus conferring a fitness advantage. (Hoogland et al., 1956) However, in the environments of the freshwater G. aculeatus, large soft mouthed predators are largely absent, and instead these spines serve…

Have you ever been in the deep blue sea and come across seahorse or a leafy sea dragon. They may seem like they have a lot in common; however they very different. Their characteristics, diet, and habitats are all different. Also, both seahorse and leafy sea dragon have bodies to camouflage themselves from predators. A seahorse weighs around one gram to two pounds. While, a leafy sea dragon weighs at a quarter of a pound (4oz). However, they both have similar color such as red,…

Seahorse From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the animal. For the mythological animal sea-horse, see hippocamp. For other uses, see Seahorse (disambiguation). Seahorses are a genus (Hippocampus) of fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae, which also includes pipefish and leafy sea dragons. There are over 32 species of seahorse, mainly found in shallow tropical and temperate waters throughout the world. They prefer to live in sheltered…

Seahorses Rachel Smith Biology 104 03 April 2015 Seahorses are majestic creatures that roam the aquatic depths and fascinate mankind with their unique body type. Seahorse is the name given to fifty-four species of small aquatic fishes in the genus Hippocampus. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek word hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning "sea monster". Seahorses are also classified as Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Sub-phylum Vertebrata, Class Osteichthyes and Order Perciformes…