Seadragon is the common name for several kinds of fish similar to seahorses. The two most well-known kinds are the weedy (or common) seadragon and the leafy (or Glauert’s) seadragon. Both species typically live in reefs or among seaweed off southern Australia. Like seahorses, seadragons have a long snout and skin covered in bony plates. But seadragons generally grow larger than seahorses, and they have flatter bodies fringed with unusual skin flaps. Both species of seadragon resemble seaweed, enabling them to hide from predators (hunting animals).
Weedy seadragons can reach about 18 inches (46 centimeters) in length, while leafy seadragons are generally smaller. Weedy seadragons typically have reddish bodies with elaborate patterns of yellow spots and purple stripes. Leafy seadragons have green or brownish-yellow bodies with purple and white stripes. Their leaflike skin flaps grow considerably larger than those of weedy seadragons. Leafy seadragons also have sharp spines on their sides, which may help them fight off predators.
Seadragons are slow swimmers. They feed on tiny living things called zooplankton as well as on shrimplike animals, sucking them into their tubelike mouths. A female seadragon produces up to 300 eggs. The male incubates (cares for) the eggs by carrying them on the underside of his tail. Prior to incubation, the tail swells and forms pits to hold the eggs. The eggs hatch in four to nine weeks. Seadragons can live for 10 years or more in captivity, but probably less in the wild.
See also Seahorse.
