Advancing marine conservation
We took a little break from posting featured iSeahorse observations, but we are back at it again! To kick things off we are featuring this gorgeous White’s seahorse (Hippocampus whitei) photographed by user Peter “fiftygrit” in New South Wales, Australia. White’s seahorse was recently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, one of two …
Our latest iSeahorse featured observation comes from Daniel Schofield (djscho on iNaturalist) who captured this wonderful weedy pygmy (Hippocampus pontohi) amidst the pink corals of Indonesia. The weedy pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi) was named after the Indonesian dive guide, Hence Pontoh, who discovered it. As with most pygmy seahorses, it grows to ~ 1.5 centimeters …
This month’s featured gem of citizen science goes to Rémi Bigonneau (remi_bigonneau on iNaturalist) for this dazzling shot of the Pacific seahorse (Hippocampus ingens) off the coast of the Galapagos Islands. Extraordinarily large for a seahorse, Pacific seahorses – also known as Giant seahorses – can grow to 31 cm long and are rivaled only …
Our latest iSeahorse featured observation is a well-timed shot of a snapped-up short-snouted seahorse. Marina Gorbunova (melodi_96 on iNaturalist) beheld this beak-beleaguered Hippocampus hippocampus on the edge of the Black Sea. This is a very exciting encounter from a scientific perspective. When Project Seahorse published a review paper in 2010, summarizing what was known about …
We picked a “blooming” beauty for our latest featured iSeahorse observation – a long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) sporting a bouquet of fleshy fronds. This photo was snapped near Stratoni, Greece, by Dr. Miguel Correia, one of our iSeahorse National Seahorse Experts and a member of the IUCN Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragon Specialist Group. The Stratoni …
In April we were showered with Bargibant’s pygmy seahorse observations! iSeahorse user nudisusie (aka Susannah Erbe) spotted nearly a dozen of these knobbly cuties clinging to a single seafan in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. But just how many Bargibant’s pygmy seahorses were captured in this snapshot? At first glance, it might look like there’s one camouflaged …
This prickly, plum-hued stunner is none other than the hedgehog seahorse (Hippocampus spinosissimus), our featured iSeahorse observation from March. The photo was posted by Evolution Dive Resort, which operates out of Malapascua Island, Philippines. In addition to the Philippines, hedgehog seahorses are found in Australia, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand …
Our celebrity species this month is Hippocampus trimaculatus, aka the three-spot seahorse. Thanks, iSeahorse user davidr, for spotting this spotless three-spot! Project Seahorse biologist Lily Stanton had a tricky time identifying this fish, as, like Oddball from the classic animated movie “102 Dalmatians”, this specimen lacks the spots adorning their kin. What gave away its …
Our most recent featured iSeahorse observation is Hippocampus hippocampus, the short-snouted seahorse. Thank you to iSeahorse user Tamsyn Mann for this exclusive snapshot from the English coast. With its wrinkly skin and sandy complexion, this fish looks a bit like E.T.! And it might as well be – while we share a planet with this …
For a miniscule fish, Pontoh’s pygmy seahorse, our species du jour, has caused disproportionately hefty levels of confusion. Thanks to iSeahorse user tantsusoo for a stunning and thought-provoking picture from Raja Amput, Indonesia! So, what’s odd about this observation? Well, the taxonomy surrounding pygmy seahorses is still a tad fuzzy, which makes them hard to …
