Horse or Fish?
The seahorse, belonging to the Gasterosteiformes as its order, Syngnathidae family, and Hippocampus genus, is NOT a horse, but a fish. Although there are approximately 35 different species of seahorses, they are all classified under genus Hippocampus because of shared characteristics such as their long tubular snouts, crown-like coronets, heads at right angles to bodies, bony-plated bodies, upright postures, small fins and prehensile tails. These features are also the reason that the Hippocampus is commonly known as the seahorse- because those are the features that resemble the mammal horse. But seahorses are classified as fish simply because they live in water and obtain oxygen through gills. They are very closely related to the pipefish (which are frequent in this area- especially in bays along the New Jersey coastline) and belong to the same family. Unfortunately, seahorses are very difficult to spot because they delve near the bottom of the ocean and also blend in with their surroundings. The common seahorse, the hudsonius, is found along the west shore of the Atlantic running down North America. |
