Sea Dragon

Contrary to popular myth, sea dragons are not a species of sea horse.
They are found only in Australian waters and although they belong to the same family as sea horses they are a distinct species.

They do not have a pouch for their babies, and the male sea dragon carries them instead on is tail. Their tail does not coil like a sea horse do, and they cannot grasp objects with it.

Sea Dragon

Sea dragons have a long snout that is tube like in makeup and a hard tough hide.
Strangely, their eyes will move independently of the other and they have no teeth and no stomach.

The leafy Sea dragon is usually green gold and orange with appendages that look like leaves and is generally fancier than the cousin the weedy Sea dragon.

The Weedy Sea dragon has a longer thinner nose than the leafy sea dragon and bright blue bands run along its upper body.

They feed mainly on crustaceans such as shrimps or sea lice, and new born sea dragons will eat plankton until they are large enough to hunt and eat the sea shrimp.

Sea dragons are like seahorses because it is the male who carries the eggs.

Sea Dragon

The female will deposit up to 250 hot pink eggs onto the males tail where the eggs attach themselves to a “brood patch” and stay for the next 6 to 8 weeks.

They can receive oxygen from the brood patch and there they become fertile eggs.

The little ones are born over a time span of a few days, and look instantly like an adult, only a great deal smaller. As soon as they are born they are independent of their parents.
Find out more about the Sea Dragon over at Wikipedia »