The Leafy Sea Dragon
The ocean and its inhabitants have always fascinated me. I saw a television show the other day on sea dragons and decided more people should know about these graceful sea creatures.
The ocean and its inhabitants have always fascinated me. I saw a television show the other day on sea dragons and decided more people should know about these graceful sea creatures.
The sea dragon is a very interesting and unique looking animal. Related to sea horses they move very gracefully in the water blending in so perfectly with their surroundings.
Image via Wikipedia
The leafy dragon has leaf looking things all over its body. This camouflage is only used to hide them not to propel them through the water. They move through the water with two fins that are almost invisible. The dorsal fin and the pectoral fin. What the leafy sea dragon is trying to mimic is floating seaweed and it does it quite well. Seemingly to just be floating along through the water.
Sea Dragons do not have any teeth but dine on small fish and shrimp.This is very unusual for fish that eat other fish. These creatures live in the waters of Australia. Just as the sea horse the sea dragons carry the baby eggs. The female attaches them to the tail of the male and it takes nine weeks for the eggs to begin hatching. When the egg sack turns orange or purple daddy knows it is time to start flapping his tail so the infants will hatch. This takes between 24 to 48 hours to complete this process. Once the babies hatch they no longer need their parents and are completely independent. It takes along time for them to reach maturity about 28 months. Many of the young do not survive because they are slow swimmers and easy prey.
Image via Wikipedia
These wonderful graceful dragons have many threats which begin with man. These beauties are captured and used by collectors in alternative medicine. They are endangered now from pollution in our waters and if not cared for they will become exstinct.
Success in keeping them alive in captivity is very hard because they are very fragile. With knowledge of these wonderful fish maybe we can all help at keeping them on our planet and seeing that they once more thrive.
More of mine:
Liked it
12 Responses to “The Leafy Sea Dragon”
On July 19, 2009 at 3:22 am
indeed they are beautiful creatures and most likely will vanish if we remain uncaring to the environment.
On July 19, 2009 at 6:00 am
I like this creature. It looks unique and attractive. Thanks and liked it.
On July 19, 2009 at 10:58 am
This is just another amazing example of nature’s mystery and beauty.
On July 19, 2009 at 11:50 am
I enjoyed this. Read it because I got a thing for dragons and found this very interesting.
I put this in my stumble upon likes.
Take Care, DreamSweet and let Your Heart Shine
~ milty
On July 19, 2009 at 11:54 am
I read this because I like dragons and found this article very interesting. This is a very good write. I have added this to my stumble upon likes.
Take Care, DreamSweet and let Your Heart Shine
~ milty
On July 19, 2009 at 11:55 am
I’ve always been fascinated with this creature and its cousin, sea horse. I have fun reading this one. Thanks Linda
On July 19, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Interesting creature.
On July 19, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I enjoyed reading this article. thanks so much for sharing!
On July 19, 2009 at 5:56 pm
cool and cute sea creature,well-presented
On July 19, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I love undersea creatures and this is a fantastic article, great job
On July 20, 2009 at 2:45 am
Wonderful article of sea little horse(in spanish).
On July 30, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Good info, I am into the salt water reef aquarium hobby, and I have heard of this dragon before. Never seen it in the hobby, because sea horses dont do good in captivity.
Post Comment