1. Hippocampus swims in a vertical position swaying its tail and gyrating its trunk . Its prehensile tail encoil the surrounding weed . It feeds on minute organisms .
2. Hippocampus is commonly called a sea-horse ,resembling its head and neck with the horse .
3. Body is more or less elongated, having an exoskeleton of ring-like bony plates . Size 5-17 cm
4. Head is produced anteriorly into a tubular snout bearing a terminal mouth . Eyes lie dorsally on the head .
5. Trunk is compressed, somewhat elevated with 10-12 exoskeleton rings.
6. Dorsal fin is single and small, pectoral fins are small on either side of the head. Pelvic and caudal fins are absent . Females have small anal fins .
7. Males possess a brood pouch on the abdomen . In brood pouch , eggs are retained until they hatch as young ones showing parental care .
8. Operculum is fused with the body wall ventrally and posteriorly , leaving a small upwardly directed branchial aperture .
9. It exhibits mimicry by having numerous prominent spines or cutaneous trailing filaments on the body , resembling the sea weed .
10. Hippocampus is found in tropical and temperate seas , particularly in Indian and Atlantic seas.
Source:
1. Practical Zoology Vertebrates by S.S.Lal. 2. A Manual of Practical Zoology Chordates by Dr. P.S. Verma.
