Seahorse Reproduction

This National Geographic article carrying an award winning photo of a male seahorse giving birth to a fry (this is what their young is called) spurred an interest in seahorses.

Another link from the same page led to a deeper insight into seahorses. First, the male and female would engage in a mating dance (see video below) which eventually leads to the female depositing her eggs into the male's pouch. The male will then fertilise the eggs in his pouch.

This male pregnancy typically lasts for 10 to 25 days depending on the species. During this process, the father regulates water salinity as the eggs hatch within the pouch. The male undergoes some fantastic and energy consuming contractions as it gives birth to the young (known as fry) at the end of the pregnancy, as can be seen in yet another video below:

Some other seahorses trivia: 

• A male seahorse in some species can give birth in the morning and get pregnant again by evening!
• Seahorses inhabit tropical and temperate coastal waters worldwide.
• They range in sizes from 1cm to 30cm.
• They have a prehensile tail for clinging to underwater vegetation.
• Seahorses have a tubelike mouth for sucking in planktons.
• They have protective bony plates in their skin.
• There are 32 known species of seahorses.