Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis, USA
Info
Jordan & Evermann, 1903
Very special thanks for the first three photos of Hippocampus fisheri to Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis!
These seahorses are often caught by accident by squid fishermen far off the coast of Hawaiii. The seahorses are attracted by lights used by the boat to bring in the squid.
However, this species is a deepwater fish that can't be kept in aquariums. In nature, they live in very deep water during the day and then swim to the surface to hunt at night. Without that deepwater habitat, they get gas bubbles in their blood and die. Karen Brittain also told me this phenomenon even happens to seahorses that are born in captivity and never see deep water.
The males are fascinating and they change color from white to red, brown, to orange and everything in between. They court the females in the morning and will "shimmer" with their colors as they change color rapidly to attract the females.
Classification: Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Vertebrata (Subphylum) > Gnathostomata (Superclass) > Pisces (Superclass) > Actinopterygii (Class) > Syngnathiformes (Order) > Syngnathidae (Family) > Hippocampinae (Subfamily) > Hippocampus (Genus) > Hippocampus fisheri (Species)
Feeding intake.
The fish take a long time to eat at the beginning, before the food is taken up, a close inspection is carried out. After acclimatisation, the offered frozen food is eaten without problems. It should be noted that wild-caught fish behave differently than offspring when it comes to food intake. In the case of offspring, the size of the fish purchased also plays a role in the choice of food.
Very special thanks for the first three photos of Hippocampus fisheri to Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis!
These seahorses are often caught by accident by squid fishermen far off the coast of Hawaiii. The seahorses are attracted by lights used by the boat to bring in the squid.
However, this species is a deepwater fish that can't be kept in aquariums. In nature, they live in very deep water during the day and then swim to the surface to hunt at night. Without that deepwater habitat, they get gas bubbles in their blood and die. Karen Brittain also told me this phenomenon even happens to seahorses that are born in captivity and never see deep water.
The males are fascinating and they change color from white to red, brown, to orange and everything in between. They court the females in the morning and will "shimmer" with their colors as they change color rapidly to attract the females.
Classification: Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Vertebrata (Subphylum) > Gnathostomata (Superclass) > Pisces (Superclass) > Actinopterygii (Class) > Syngnathiformes (Order) > Syngnathidae (Family) > Hippocampinae (Subfamily) > Hippocampus (Genus) > Hippocampus fisheri (Species)
Feeding intake.
The fish take a long time to eat at the beginning, before the food is taken up, a close inspection is carried out. After acclimatisation, the offered frozen food is eaten without problems. It should be noted that wild-caught fish behave differently than offspring when it comes to food intake. In the case of offspring, the size of the fish purchased also plays a role in the choice of food.
