Short Snout Seahorse

The Short Snout Seahorse can be found across the Eastern Atlantic and have even been found in the River Thames. They will often be found where there is lots of water plants and rocks in slow moving waters. As they aren’t very strong swimmers, they will use their tail to cling to any rocks or sea grass so they don’t get carried away with the current.

The Short Snout Seahorse get their name due to their upturned short snout which is less than a third the length of their head. Often a light brown colour but can also come in an off purple colour. They are set apart from other seahorses as they do not have a fleshy mane that can be seen on many other seahorse species. They also don’t have any teeth or a stomach therefore they simply suck up their food which then passes through their digestive system very quickly.

Short Snout Seahorses are ambush predators, feeding on live moving food and will eat up to 50 tiny shrimp per day. They are able to do this by staying relatively slow until their prey passes them then they will reach out and suck it into their mouth. When it comes to mating, the female will deposit her eggs into the males pouch where he will then fertilise them before giving birth a few weeks later. The male is able to birth up to 100 offspring at a time but unfortunately not all will survive as seahorses are so small when they are born, older seahorses tend to eat them.