Bay Pipefish

A female wraps herself around a male in a rigid vertical S position. Eggs are fertilised in the brood pouch of the male (Ref. 6885).

Common in eelgrass of bays and estuaries, sometimes taken in shallow offshore waters (Ref. 5316). Feeds on crustaceans (Ref. 6885). Females larger than males (R.C. de Graaf, pers. Comm., 2001; Ref. 93899). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205). The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail (Ref. 205).

aquarium: public aquariums

The bay pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhynchus) is a pipefish native to the eelgrass beds of the Eastern Pacific (Southern Baja California to Gulf of Alaska), where its sinuous shape and green color allow it to blend in with the waving blades of eelgrass. Like other members of the seahorse family, male pipefish tend the eggs laid by their female partners in specialized pouches.