Even though the sea horse is a fish, there is very little about it to suggest a fish. It has a head shaped like a pony. Instead of scales, the body of a sea horse is encased in rigid plates and thorny spikes. And its tail is like a snake’s!

The sea horse doesn’t even behave like other fish. It usually curls its tail around a bit of seaweed in the water so that it won’t be swept away by the current. When it does swim, it moves about with the help of a single fin which is located on its back, and it moves upright through the water.

The mouth of a sea horse is a pipe-like tube through which it sucks in its food. Unlike other fish, it has a distinct neck and movable horse-like head, which is set at an angle to its body.

Perhaps the most peculiar thing about sea horses is the way they care for their young. The female fish, when she lays her eggs, puts them into the broad pouch beneath the tail of the male. So the father, instead of the mother, carries the eggs about until they hatch. Even after the young hatch out, they remain in the father’s pouch for a time until they are able to take care of themselves.

Sea horses can be found in nearly all the warm and temperate seas. They belong to the pipefish family, and their food consists of small sea creatures and the eggs of other fishes. A sea horse never eats a dead thing.

There are about 50 different kinds or species of sea horses. Their size may range from 5 to 30 centimeters.

Sea horses are seen only in the summer and they are known as summer fishes. Nobody knows what happens to them in the winter!

Even though the sea horse hasn’t many ways of defending itself against its enemies, it is quite safe from attack. It seems that other fishes in the sea just don’t like to eat or attack sea horses!