SEAHORSE

Colour me in

Please feel welcome to print this image for your child (or yourself) to colour/paint/collage (you might like to give this little seahorse a home by adding some grass for seaweed or making your own by cutting out thin strips of coloured paper (you can colour some paper yourself and then cut out from this). Please note that if you print as is it will use up colour as the paper has a warm tint. I recommend printing as black and white so not to waste your ink.

Common facts

What do they look like? Well firstly, aren’t they just beautiful! Such unique looking creatures – a horse-like head, tail like a monkey, and a pouch like a kangaroo! and yet, they are fish (with fins and gills). Seahorses are quite small creatures, ranging from 2cm to 30cm (the length of a common ruler), and come in all different colours - in fact some are rainbow! Why not colour your seahorse in your favourite colours at the moment - we say ‘at the moment’ because your favourite colour might change tomorrow or the next day!

Seahorses are masters of disguise - they can change their colour to match their surroundings, just like a chameleon, and can even grow bits of skin that look like seaweed, and have little bumps/spines all over them, making them super hard to spot amongst seaweed and coral. When animals blend in with their environment we call it camouflage.

Where do they live? Seahorses live in oceans all over the world, and estuaries, which are water bodies where fresh river water meets the salty ocean. Seahorses enjoy shallow warmer waters, and sheltered areas like seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and coral reefs.

What do they do? Seahorses are very slow swimmers and in fact they like to stay quite still. They do this by wrapping their curly tail around seaweed or coral, so that they don’t drift around with the moving water. Seahorses mate for life. This means that they choose only one other seahorse to have babies with, and they are very affectionate (they show their love for another). They do this by greeting each other every morning with a long slow dance. We all our love our family; how do you show your family that you love them? Maybe you give them cuddles, or beautiful smiles? But maybe today you could do a dance for your family like the seahorse!

What sound do Seahorses make? They growl, click and purr! Can you make these sounds? Seahorses usually make sounds when they are eating and when saying hello to their friends.

Who are their predators? Big fish like tuna and also stingrays, penguins, crabs, sea turtles and seabirds. However, because they are such slow swimmers and are super duper camouflaged their predators do not easily spot them.

Are they endangered? There are over 40 species (different kinds) of seahorse and many have been identified as vulnerable or endangered. The biggest threats include loss of habitat, accidentally being caught in fishing nets, and for use in Chinese medicine. This means they need our protection. The good news is that there are very kind people in our world that are working hard to do what they can to help these beautiful creatures survive and thrive. If you are interested to know what is being done to help seahorses and/or how you can help you can find some ideas here: http://www.projectseahorse.org/get-involved

AMAZING FACTS

The male (father) give birth! That’s pretty amazing. The female (mother) puts her eggs in the males pouch, he then fertilises the eggs and cares for them (providing them with oxygen and nutrients, which is what your mother did for you when you were inside her womb). The male cares for these fertilised eggs for 2-4 weeks and then gives birth. Seahorses can give birth to hundreds of baby seahorses at the one time! Can you imagine having hundreds of brothers and sisters?!

Seahorse babies leave home straight away! Once babies are born, they float off and are ready to live life on their own! Now that is amazing!

Seahorses have no teeth, so how do they eat?! They suck up their food (like a vacuum cleaner!) through their long trumpet-like snout. They are not fussy eaters at all – as long as it’s small enough to fit through their mouth they’ll give it a go. Foods that seahorses enjoy include shrimp-like creatures, plankton, baby fish, and small crustaceans.

Seahorses don’t have stomachs, so they have to constantly eat. They can eat 3000 or more shrimp a day!

ACTIVITY IDEAS

1. You might like to add a habitat for the seahorse you have coloured in – I’m sure it would love some coral and seaweed to hide in, and don’t forget they change their colour to match their surroundings, so if you want to keep your seahorse safe from predators make sure you match your coral and seaweed to the colour of your seahorse. You could draw your habitat straight onto your drawing or do collage (cut out and paste little pieces of paper seaweed and coral).

2. Do you remember that seahorses will eat just about anything that will fit in their snout? Maybe you could be a seahorse tonight and try a food that you don’t usually eat? And just like our favourite colours can change, so to can the food we like! I never liked mushrooms as a kid but now I love them!

3. If you’re interested in numbers, or measurements, take out a ruler and look at 2cm and 30cm. The smallest seahorse is the pygmy seashorse and they are 2cm. The largest is the big-bellied, or pot-bellied seahorse and they are 30 cm. All other types of seahorses range between these sizes.

4. Remember how the seahorse does a dance every morning to show their partners that they love them? Think of some creative ways you can show your family you love them – you might like to do a drawing or painting for them? Sing a song? or maybe do a special dance like the seahorse? And there’s always the good old hug!

5. Call your grandparents (or other family or friends) and share with them what you have learned about seahorses.

Documentaries

I found it hard to find a good short documentary suitable for children. The ones below were the best i could find. Please let me know if you have any other recommendations. David Attenborough’s ‘Natural Curiosities’ series covers seahorses but is not freely accessible.

This short footage (6 minutes) shows seahorses in their natural habitat, as well as some of their cousins whose camouflage is absolutely incredible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo-a25phR8E

This short footage (2.5 minutes) shows how seahorses can change their colour to match their environment. Warning however, this is a YouTube clip that starts with an advertisement so please make sure you are watching with your child and skip the add https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CtGoqz3ww

References:

1. http://www.projectseahorse.org/

2. https://www.theseahorsetrust.org/seahorse-facts/