A funny and cute fish - a seahorse, very unusual and little like other fish. These representatives of the domain of the god Neptune have the shape of a horse-like head, their body is enclosed in a strong shell, the tail has the tenacity of a monkey, and for rearing offspring, males have a bag on their abdomen, like a ground kangaroo. Those who are familiar with ancient mythology know that Neptune harnessed these sea creatures to his chariot. True, this is surprising, because the sizes of different types of skates are in the range from thirty to three centimeters in length. But Neptune is free to decide which horses to ride.
Most Internet users know about them only from the virtual game - "Abyssal Seahorse". They are widely used for the production of medicines in the countries of the East. They treat diseases such as atherosclerosis and various skin lesions. Very much appreciated by men who are afraid of impotence, the means to combat it is the "Golden Horse".
Exotic connoisseurs love to keep a fish like a seahorse in an aquarium. Therefore, in Thailand, the Philippines and other countries, they are mass-trapped for sale as souvenirs and gifts. To do this, the fish-horses are specially turned out by artificial methods of the body, giving everyone their favorite shape $. In fact, there are no fish with this body shape in nature. Gourmets who eat at expensive restaurants appreciate the seahorse as the basis for dishes made from the eyes and liver of these small fish. If we add ecological difficulties here, it becomes clear why thirty species of these fish are already listed in the Red Book.
The zone of natural habitat for fish of the needle family, which includes the seahorse, is the warm waters of tropical and subtropical seas. Crustaceans and shrimps are their main food. Unlike fish, skates are always upright in the water, which is reminiscent of mammals. This effect is achieved due to the fact that their swim bladder is located not in the abdominal cavity, but in the head. Small pectoral fins enable skates to slowly, at a slow pace, gracefully, as if in a dance, move across the pond.
These harmless creatures hide from enemies in corals and algae. If they feel danger, then, like monkeys, they cling to a branch of algae with their tail and hang on it in a motionless state, lowering their heads down and taking on the color of the environment in which they are. It's amazing how easily skates change body color. They can be yellow, blue - whatever. The shell that protects the body is bonerecords. They are so strong that even a sun-dried carcass of a seahorse cannot break them.
It's very interesting to watch a seahorse breed. Courtship dances between a female and a male last for several days. Embracing their tails, they w altz in the sea waters. Then the female begins to throw eggs into the bag for the children of her chosen one. The eggs in it go through the stage of fertilization and maturation for a month, and then are born, delivering the strongest torment to their dad. It happens that the male dies during childbirth.
