Dragons are Alive!
Dragons are alive and well, although they are small and they live in the sea, which makes it doubtful that they are the flying, fire-breathing creatures of legend.
The Leafy Sea Dragon, Phycodurus eques, is a relative of the seahorse and the pipefish. These little yellow dragons are larger than their seahorse cousins, measuring an average of 14-18 inches. A rare marine fish, they are found only in Australia, from Jurien Bay on the Western Shoreline to Kangaroo Island on the Southern shoreline.
The yellow coloring of the Leafy Sea Dragon is shown in stunning contrast to the blue background.
The Sea Dragon feeds mainly on small crustaceans, shrimp and plankton while hiding among rocks, kelp and sea grass. The shape of the body resembles sea weed, which helps to camouflage the Sea dragon from predators looking for food. The Sea Dragon has no way of defending itself from attack and is a slow-moving creature, making it vulnerable to predators.
On closer inspection, a clump of seaweed may reveal a Sea Dragon.
This fish is also able to change the color of its body and fins in order to camouflage itself better, although this depends on how healthy the Sea Dragon is and what foods its diet consists of.
Leafy Sea dragons have no teeth, which is unusual for animals that eat shrimp and small fish. Instead, these fish have long, narrow snout which they use to feed.
This photo shows the pipe-like snout of the Sea Dragon.
This video shows the Sea Dragon using its dorsal and pectoral fins to propel itself through the water.
Unlike sea horses, Leafy Sea Dragons cannot use their thin tails to grip onto rocks or plants to anchor themselves. Instead, the Leafy Sea Dragon uses transparent dorsal and pectoral fins to remain stationary and to propel them through the water. These fins are nearly invisible, and often a Leafy Sea Dragon will look like nothing more than a piece of tumbling seaweed.
Leafy Sea Dragons have a relative, Weedy Sea Dragons, which have smaller appendages and are usually reddish in color with yellow spots.
This photo shows the Weedy Sea Dragon; a relative of the Leafy Sea Dragon.
For more pictures and information, visit divegallery.com/Leafy_Sea_Dragon.htm
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14 Responses to “Dragons are Alive!”
On March 9, 2009 at 8:19 am
This article is very interesting. My children will surely love reading this!
On March 9, 2009 at 8:26 am
Man that thing is the coolest!
On March 9, 2009 at 11:38 am
cool article i actually seen one of these at a aquarium here in north carolina very good piece of work
On March 9, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Loved it.
On March 10, 2009 at 12:55 am
So beautiful. My girls loved this one, they kept asking me to brings back the “sea leaves” lol! Will have to blog this one.
On March 10, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Wonderful article! This is totally new to me — I was fascinated by these dragons. So cool!
On March 26, 2009 at 10:31 am
wow… I was so amazed of you! seeing this things makes it more nice!
On June 19, 2009 at 6:53 pm
They look so fragile and beautiful. wonderful.
On September 23, 2009 at 7:10 am
they look very nice, shame they’re not the real dragons..
On October 5, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Great information, it was like swimming through a fairy tale with all those amazing pictures.. and video. What a pleasant surprise!
On October 7, 2009 at 8:26 am
Wow! This is the most beautiful fish I have ever seen! Thank you for sharing this!
On October 14, 2009 at 8:00 am
I really like Leafy Sea Dragon’s their so interesting looking! When I was little I used to want to keep one but after doing some research and finding out how difficult they are to keep in captivity and that you can’t purchase one anymore anyway I decided to go a different route with my saltwater tank and ended up with clown fish.
On October 18, 2009 at 2:46 am
When I was little I ‘read’ the pictures in National Geographic where baby seahorses go into the male’s pouch for safety. So I put two and two together and figured that human babies came out a mummy’s navel! Ok to laugh! Love your writing.
On October 24, 2009 at 10:31 am
great article & video!
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