Biology

Adults are usually found in pairs or clusters of pairs, with up to 28 recorded on a single gorgonian, and may be monogamous (1) (2). Unusually, it is the male, and not the female, that becomes pregnant in seahorses (7). Breeding occurs year-round, and gestation averages two weeks (2) (4), during which the male carries the eggs concealed within his trunk region (5). In one birth witnessed underwater a male 'gave birth' to a brood of 34 live young (2). The young look like miniature adult seahorses, are independent from birth, and receive no further parental care (7).