April 8th, 2014
Featured observation: Weedy pygmy seahorse by kati-romblon
Our new featured observation comes to us from kati-romblon, who snapped this great pic of the weedy pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi) in Romblon, Phillipines. kati-romblon is looking like a rather proliferate user, having posted 12 observations of 5 species already!
The weedy pygmy seahorse is a species that inhabits algae and soft corals among the Indo-Pacific islands. Being one of the smallest species, it grows only to a maximum of 1.4 centimetres and so is very tough to spot in the water.
As a result of its small stature and cryptic nature, the species was only discovered in 2008. Scientists do not currently have enough information to know how well the species is doing, and so it is listed as ‘Data Deficient’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Observations like these will help us to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the weedy pygmy seahorse, thereby enabling us to protect it and its ocean home.
Thanks for the observation kati-romblon!
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