Sydney Seahorse
( Hippocampus whitei )
The Sydney Seahorse, also known as White's Seahorse, is native to the Pacific waters off Australia's east coast. The Sydney Seahorse grows to a maximum size of 13 cm (5.1 in) and changes its color depending on its mood and habitat. As is common with all seahorses, the Sydney seahorse male carries its young to birth.
The Sydney Seahorse has only a very small fin for propulsion making the seahorse one of the slowest swimming fish in the ocean. To avoid being carried away by currents, seahorses wrap their tails around seagrass and soft corals in coastal estuaries. Sadly most of their natural habitat has been either disturbed or destroyed by pollution, boat traffic and coastal construction.
Survey data found an overall population decline of 50-70% over the past decade due to habitat destruction. As a result the Sydney Seahorse and the South African Knysna Seahorse are the only two of approximately 50 seahorse species to be listed as endangered.
To learn more about the Sydney Seahorse and the Seahorse Hotels being built to help the species recover visit the link below:
https://www.visitsealife.com/sydney/whats-inside/seahorse-breeding-program/