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Long-snouted Seahorse

About

The long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) is one of two seahorse species found in Greek seas, alongside the short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus). It belongs to the family Syngnathidae - which also includes pipefish - and is one of the most distinctive fish of the Mediterranean's shallow coastal ecosystems.

It stands out for its relatively long snout and the characteristic skin filaments on its head and body, which, together with its ability to change colour, help it camouflage perfectly. It lives among seagrass, rocks or other structures it can grip with its tail - since it swims slowly and with difficulty, it depends entirely on such "complex" habitats.

Its reproduction is one of nature's most unusual phenomena: the female transfers her eggs into the male's specialised brood pouch, and he carries the developing young until they are born - meaning the seahorse "dad" is the one who gets pregnant.

Field surveys in the North Aegean (Stratoni, Chalkidiki, 2016 and 2019) have recorded both Greek species in natural and artificial habitats, with the short-snouted seahorse appearing relatively more often (especially near artificial underwater structures) and the long-snouted one more rarely. Both species have been assessed as "Near Threatened" at Mediterranean level, mainly due to habitat loss and certain fishing practices.