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Sea Dragon


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Sea Dragon
Sea Dragon
Sea Dragon
Sea Dragon
Sea Dragon
The sea dragon is a small, delicate fish found in the tropical coastal waters of south and west Australia. Sea dragons look similar to and are in fact closely related to sea horses.

There are two different species of sea dragon which are the leafy sea dragon and the weedy sea dragon. Although both sea dragon species have a similar body shape and size, they are very different in appearance.

The leafy sea dragon is the master of camouflage, and being able to hide itself so easily amongst the plants means that the leafy sea dragon is rarely eaten, despite having numerous potential predators in the surrounding water.

The weedy sea dragon does not look so elaborate, only having a few feather fins along its back. The weedy sea dragon has adapted to life on the sea bed as these feathery (weed-like) fins help the sea dragon to camouflage into the debris on the sea floor.

Despite their small size, sea dragons are carnivorous animals and therefore have a purely meat-based diet. The sea dragon uses its pipe-like snout to suck its prey into its oddly tooth-less mouth. Sea dragons hunt crustaceans, plankton, shrimp and even small fish, using their camouflage to their advantage.

Sea dragons have numerous natural predators in the south and western coastal waters of Australia but are rarely even spotted to the elaborate camouflage of the sea dragon. Those few sea dragons that are unlucky enough to be found, are usually spotted by large fish.

As with sea horses, it is the male sea dragon who care for the eggs once they have been laid by the female. The female lays around 250 eggs onto the long tail onto the long tail of the male sea horse. The eggs of the sea dragon can take up to 9 weeks to hatch and remain in the care of the male sea dragon at all times.

The baby sea dragons are completely independent once they have hatched and feed on tiny nutritious particles in the water. It can take up to a year for the sea dragon babies to be nearly the size of the adult sea dragons.

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Sea Dragon Facts

Kingdom:
A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....
Animalia
Phylum:
A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....
Chordata
Class:
A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....
Actinopterygii
Order:
A level used to classify animals. Classes are broken into sub-groups known as order, which are broken down further into families....
Syngnathiformes
Family:
A level of classifying animals within an order. Orders are broken down in families and families are broken down further into smaller groups called genus....
Syngnathidae
Genus:
A level of classifying animals within a family. Families are divided into sub-groups called genus which generally contain one or two animal species....
Phycodurus
Common Name:Sea Dragon
Scientific Name:Phycodurus Eques
Origin:Australian coastal waters
Diet:Carnivore
Size (L):20cm - 24cm (10in - 12in)
Water Type:Salt
Optimum pH Level:6.5 - 8.0
Life Span:2 - 10 years
Conservation Status:
The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...
Threatened
Colour:Brown, Black, Yellow, White, Tan, Grey, Green, Red, Orange
Skin Type:Scales
Favourite Food:Plankton
Habitat:
The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...
Tropical coastal waters
Average Clutch Size:250
Main Prey:
When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....
Plankton, Shrimp, Small fish
Predators:
When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...
Large Fish
Distinctive Features:Elongated snout and easily camouflaged body

Related Animals

SeahorseSeahorse
Highly endangered due to overhunting!

 

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