Call me Daddy... and Mummy!

A delicate dance

Seahorse - blue and yellow colouringSimply speaking there are two types of fish known to man: there are fish without bones, (sharks and rays etc.), and fish with bones, (the most common variety).  But there is one fish amongst the more common boned water dwellers who completely stands out from the crowd: it is the only fish to have a physical neck, and - most notably - the only living species on the planet where it is the male who gives birth. 

Yes, you may have guessed, I'm talking about the same mystical creature which dons many of our bathroom tiles and beach towels, the enchanting and aesthetically pleasing Seahorse. I loved creating my own take on this undersea creature, combining the ocean spray and coral.

When love is in the air, (or the sea in this case), and a male and female seahorse are bonding with one another, they wrap their tails together and perform a lovely pirouetting dance of courtship; this roughly lasts for about 10 minutes, and then they go their separate way for the days feeding; but, they had better be sure to have a mighty breakfast before they perform the marathon mating courtship, because this could well involve a pirouetting period which lasts 9 hours straight - it's enough to make one dizzy!

Then, once the mood is right of course, the female will insert hundreds of her eggs into the males brood pouch which he then fertilises.  The dad-to-be continues to incubate the developing eggs, and is briefly visited by the somewhat hand-off mum once a day to maintain their unique bond. 

When the big day arrives, and the male is fit to burst, he will pump out dozens to hundreds of teeny-tiny seahorse babies at a time: and as soon as the last infant seahorse has been expelled in to the big wide aquatic world, he will then frantically start searching for his next mate in the hope of getting 'up-the-duff' once more.                       

Who said romance is dead!     

Daniel's Seahorse design is available as a greetings card or art print

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1 comment

They are amazing will def be getting something from here

Frances sherman

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