Description
Much like the seahorse, the leafy seadragon's name is derived from its resemblance to another creature (in this case, the mythical dragon). While not large, they are slightly larger than most seahorses, growing to about 20–24 cm (8–10 in). They feed on plankton and small crustaceans.
The lobes of skin that grow on the leafy seadragon provide camouflage, giving it the appearance of seaweed. It is able to maintain the illusion when swimming, appearing to move through the water like a piece of floating seaweed. It can also change colour to blend in, but this ability depends on the seadragon's diet, age, location, and stress level.
The creature feeds by sucking up small crustaceans, such as amphipods and mysid shrimp, plankton and larval fish through its long, pipe-like snout.
The leafy seadragon is related to the pipefish and belongs to the family Syngnathidae, along with the seahorse. It differs from the seahorse in appearance, form of locomotion, and its inability to coil or grasp things with its tail. A related species is the weedy seadragon, which is multi-coloured and grows weed-like fins but is smaller than the leafy seadragon. Another unique feature are small,circular gill openings covering tufted gills, very unlike the crescent shaped gill openings and ridged gills of most fish species (Lourie 1999)Current research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography is investigating the evolutionary relationships of the Syngnathidae and the DNA variation of the two seadragon species across their ranges.
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