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Sea dragons are small bony fishes with leaflike appendages that live in temperate rocky reefs off Australia. Learn about their appearance, behavior, reproduction, and conservation status from Britannica.
- John P. Rafferty
- Population
- Movement
- Reproduction
- Threats to Survival
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Endemic to the waters off south and east Australia, leafy sea dragons are closely related to seahorses and pipefish. Leafies are generally brown to yellow in body color with spectacular olive-tinted appendages.
Leafies are shaped to give themselves near-perfect camouflage in seaweed. But the leaf-like structures are not used for swimming. To move, this species uses two fins—one pectoral and one dorsal—that are so thin they are almost transparent.
As with sea horses, sea dragon males are responsible for childbearing. But instead of a pouch, like sea horses have, male sea dragons have a spongy brood patch on the underside of the tail where females deposit their bright-pink eggs during mating. The eggs are fertilized during the transfer from the female to the male. The males incubate the eggs ...
Sea dragons survive on tiny crustaceans such as mysids, or sea lice. It is not known if they are preyed upon by other animals. They are, however, frequently taken by divers seeking to keep them as pets. In fact, such takings shrank their numbers so critically by the early 1990s that the Australian government placed a complete protection on the spec...
Learn about the leafy sea dragon, a fish with leaf-like appendages that camouflages in seaweed. Discover its habitat, diet, reproduction, threats and conservation status.
Learn about the common seadragon, a marine fish with leaf-like appendages that mimics seaweed, and its distribution, biology, threats and conservation. Find out how it differs from other syngnathids and where to see it in the wild or in aquariums.
Jul 3, 2019 · Learn about the three species of sea dragons, small fish that resemble seahorses with leaf-like fins. Find out how they feed, reproduce, and cope with threats in their shallow coastal habitats.
- Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Mar 26, 2021 · Learn seven facts about seadragons, the leafy-looking fish that are related to seahorses and pipefish. Discover how they use camouflage, armor, and dads to survive in the ocean.
Learn about the weedy sea dragon, a fish that lives off south and east Australia and has a spongy brood patch on its tail. See photos and facts about this ornate sea creature and its reproduction.
The leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) or Glauert's seadragon, is a marine fish. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus in the family Syngnathidae, which includes seadragons, pipefish, and seahorses. [ 2 ] Leafy seadragon skeleton. It is found along the southern and western coasts of Australia.
