Wednesday 15 May
Guest Blog: Join Our SOS! Campaign to Help Polar Bears with Polar Bears International

| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Syngnathiformes |
| Family | Syngnathidae |
| Genus | Hippocampus (1) |
The Knysna seahorse is the most endangered seahorse in the world (3). It possesses the characteristic seahorse shape and the body is encased in a series of bony rings (4). This small, delicate creature is a mottled greenish brown colour, sometimes with scattered dark spots (3). The snout is relatively short and the neck arches in a smooth curve without a crown (2). The tail is muscular and is used to grasp a mate during courtship, or as an anchor to the substrate (2).
Seahorses have a remarkable method of reproduction; the female transfers her eggs into the male's pouch during mating. The eggs are fertilised within the pouch and embryos develop, embedded in the tissue lining the pouch wall of the 'pregnant' male (2). For the Knysna seahorse, the gestation period is around 2 - 3 weeks after which time the male ejects his offspring who are then extremely vulnerable, receiving no further parental care (2).
Seahorses have no teeth and no stomach, using camouflage to ambush prey, they then swallow items whole (2). They are not particularly mobile creatures, being propelled forward only with the dorsal fin(2).
TopEndemic to South Africa, this species has the smallest-known geographic range of any seahorse (5). The best-known population is found in the estuary from which this species gets its name, the Knysna Estuary, but it additionally occurs in 3 other estuaries that are also situated along the south coast of South Africa (5).
TopThis bottom-dwelling creature is found in bays and estuaries, at depths of between 50 cm and 20 metres; associated with submerged vegetation (2).
TopClassified as Endangered (EN - B1+2c+3d) on the IUCN Red List 2002 (1).
TopThe highly restricted range and fragmented population of this species make the Knysna seahorse particularly vulnerable to exploitation and habitat damage (1). The 'garden route' area of South Africa is becoming increasingly developed and this is having a detrimental effect on the population (6). This species is the only seahorse that has so far been identified to be primarily at risk from habitat damage (5).
TopThe Knysna seahorse is protected in South Africa and may only be collected with a permit (3). Further research into population distribution and the behaviour of the species is urgently needed before an effective conservation action plan can be implemented.
TopFor more information see Project Seahorse:
http://www.projectseahorse.org/
Authenticated (22/10/02) by Sarah Foster. Research Biologist, Project Seahorse.
http://www.projectseahorse.org
More »Related species
This species is featured in:
This species is endangered. Visit our endangered species page to learn more.
Image credit
© Professor Charles Griffiths
Professor Charles Griffiths
Zoology Department
University of Cape Town
Private Bag X3
Rondebosch 7701
South Africa
Tel: +27 (21) 650-3610
charles.griffiths@uct.ac.za
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.