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Fish that looks like a horse

WEAVER BIRD

SEA HORSE

Architect of the Bird world

SEA HORSE

Seahorse is the title given to 54 species of marine fish in the genus Hippocampus. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning "sea monster".

SEA HORSE

Sea horse

Type: Fish

Diet: Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:1 to 5 years (estimated)

Size:0.6 to 14 in (1.5 to 35 cm)

Group name:Herd

SEA HORSE

What is a Seahorse

Seahorses are fish. They live in water, breath through gills and have a swim bladder. However they do not have caudal fins and have a long snake-like tail. They also have a neck and a snout that points down.

SEA HORSE

EyesightSeahorses have excellent eyesight and their eyes are able to work independently on either side of their head. This means they can look forwards and backwards at the same time! This is particularly useful as they hunt for food by sight.

SEA HORSE

Snout

Seahorses have long thin snouts enabling them to probe into nooks and crannies for food. When they find food they suck it up through their snouts like a vacuum cleaner. Their snouts can expand if their prey if larger than the snout. They are not able to chew and have to disintegrate the food as they eat it.

SEA HORSE

Diet

Seahorses eat small crustacean such as Mysis Shrimp. An adult eats 30-50 times a day. Seahorse fry (baby seahorses) eat a staggering 3000 pieces of food per day.

SEA HORSE

Territory

Females have a territory of about 1.4 sq metres and males have a territory of about 0.5 sq metres. Their territories overlap

SEA HORSE

Courtship

Seahorses pair for life. They meet first thing in the morning to reinforce their pair bonding with an elaborate courtship display.The female meets the male in his territory and as they approach each other, they change colour.The male circles around the female and the pair often spiral around an object.This display can last for upto an hour. Once over the female goes back to her territory.

Pregnancy

The male is the only creature where the male has a true reversed pregnancy. The female transfers her eggs to the male which he self fertilizes in his pouch. The number of eggs can vary from 50-150 for smaller species to 1500 for larger species.They receive everything they need in the pouch from oxygen to food. Gestation time varies from 14 days to 4 weeks. Giving birth can be a long process with contractions lasting up to 12 hours.

SEA HORSE

Baby Seahorses

Baby seahorses are known as fry and when they are born they are totally on their own. They spend the first two to three weeks of their lives drifting along in the plankton layer of the ocean. Less than one in a thousand will survive long enough to become an adult due to predators.

SEA HORSE

TailSeahorses have a prehensile tail. This allows them to grip onto eel grass and other weeds and prevents them from being washed away by strong currents and waves.

SEA HORSE

ColourSeahorses can change colour very quickly and match any surroundings in which it finds itself. They have even been known to turn bright red to match floating debris.Both males and females also change colour during their courtship display.

SEA HORSE

Body

Unlike most other fish, seahorses have an exo-skeleton. Their bodies are made up of hard, external, bony plates that are fused together with a fleshy covering. They do not have scales.

SEA HORSE

Movement

Seahorses are poor swimmers. They rely on their dorsal fin beating at 30-70 times per second to propel it along. Pectoral fins either side of the head help with stability and steering.

SEA HORSE

Appendages

Seahorses are able to grow fleshy appendages called cirri on their bodies. This gives them a weed like appearance and helps with camouflage

SEA HORSE

Species

There are between 30 and 40 species of seahorses worldwide, and possibly as many sub-species. It is often difficult for scientists to identify seahorses because individuals of the same species can vary greatly in appearance. New species continue to be found.

SEA HORSE

Habitat

Seahorses live in shallow weedy areas especially eel grass beds. In winter they move into deeper waters to escape the rough weather.

SEA HORSE

ThreatsSeahorses are under threat worldwide for three main reasons:The Traditional Chinese Medicine Trade takes in excess of up to 150 million seahorses a year from the wild and these are used for all types of medicine.The Curio Trade takes approximately one million seahorses from the wild. Along with shells and starfish; they are deliberately taken from the sea and left to die in the boiling sun. They are then sold as souvenirs, sad and sorrowful reminder of once beautiful creatures.

The pet trade takes an estimated one million seahorses from the wild and It is thought that less than 1,000 survive more than six weeks, very often suffering a slow and possibly painful death.

SEA HORSE

Foods SEA HORSE

What is a weaverbird?

A weaverbird is a small bird belonging to the family Ploceidae. They are mainly tropical, Old World species noted for their nest building abilities. All species build domed nests, sometimes with long entrance tunnels. True weavers build durable nests with elaborate weaving and knotting grass and reed blades. Weavers are seed eaters with conical bills, although some species have more slender bills for eating insects. Plumages are often yellow, red and black although females are often dull brown colours. The Sociable Weaver builds the largest communal bird nest. The Red-billed Quelea is the most numerous land-bird.

weaverbird

Groups of weaversThe main groups of weavers include: buffalo weavers, sparrow weavers, social weavers, true (Ploceus) weavers, malimbes, queleas, fodies, bishops and widows

 Red-billed Buffalo Weaver

 White-browed Sparrow Weaver

 Village Weaver

 Red-billed Quelea

 Southern Red Bishop

weaverbird

Where are weaverbirds found?

Weavers are found mainly in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, five species are found in southern Asia, and nine species are found on the Indian Ocean islands (Madagscar, Seychelles, Comores, Mauritius). The map below shows where weavers are found. It also shows that more species are found in the countries closer to the equator.Some weavers have been introduced to other countries, e.g. Australia, Spain and the West Indies off the North American coast.

weaverbird

In which habitats are weaverbirds found?

The main habitats where weavers are found are semi-arid areas, savanna, grasslands and forests. Many typical weavers are found in savannas and some of these have adapted to living in gardens and urban areas, e.g. the Southern Masked Weaver. Some weavers are adapted to living in arid and semi-arid areas, particularly the Sociable Weaver. This species builds huge communal nests which provide shade during hot days and warmth during cold nights. Some weavers are found in forests, e.g. the Dark-backed Weaver and Malimbes in West Africa. Often forest living weavers build nests with long entrance tubes which could prevent smaller snakes from getting inside the nests - see under section on nests.The habitat on weavers relates to their diet. Weavers in forests and woodlands feed on insects and spiders to a great extent, but may still eat seeds. Savanna and grassland weavers feed largely on seeds, especially grass seeds which are available in this habitat.

weaverbird

What colours are weavers?

The main colours of weavers are black, yellow, red and brown. Females of many species are brownish, but females of forest-living weavers are often similar to bright males.Count how many weaver species on this page match with the main colours black, yellow, red and brown.

weaverbird

What do weaverbirds eat?

Many weavers are seed-eaters. Weavers do not have much variation in bill size and shape compared to some other groups of birds, like sunbirds or wading birds. There is some variation in how long and how thick bills are which determines the size of the seeds that the weaver prefers to eat. Some weavers eat more insects than seeds and will usually have more slender bills. Weavers feed their chicks with insects because the chicks need the protein in insects to help them grow. The Thick-billed Weaver has the thickest bill of all weavers and uses it to crack the seeds of forest fruits.

 Spectacled Weaver slender bill insect eater

 Village Weaver long thick bill generalist feeder

 Red-billed Quelea short thick bill seed eater

 Southern Red Bishop short thick bill seed eater

 Thick-billed Weaver very thick bill nut cracker

weaverbird

What nests do weaverbirds build?

Weaver nests are usually built of sticks, grass or blades of reeds or grass. Weavers use their bills to build nests. They sometimes use their feet to hold part of a grass blade while using the bill to thread the other end through the nest.

weaverbird

How old do weaverbirds become?

Many weavers can reach 10 to 15 years old. The oldest weaver in the wild was a Village Weaver that was at least 14 years old. In captivity weavers can become even older, up to 24 years old in the case of a Village Weaver. In the wild the only way to find out how old birds become is by ringing birds and waiting for some of them to be recaptured or found dead. Some of the records of weaver ages are low because there has not been enough ringing for those species yet.

weaverbird

weaverbird

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