Seahorse Facts - Amazing Facts

Seahorses differ in color, some are orange, red, yellow, green and even grey. Seahorses are unable to curl their tail backwards. Seahorses change color to blend with the environment. Seahorses make up the genus Hippocampus fish in the Syngnathidae family. "Seahorse" comes from ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and campos which means "sea monster." They have long snouts, which used to suck up food, and eyes that can move independently of one another, like a chameleon. Seahorses eat small shrimp, small fish, crustaceans and plankton.The female lays eggs in the male's pouch, and then leaves. Out of the entire animal kingdom, these are the only animals in which the male has the babies. The Seahorse populations are thought to have been threatened in recent years by overfishing and habitat destruction. The seahorse is used in traditional Chinese herbology, and up to 20 million seahorses every year can be captured and sold for this purpose.