Leafy Sea Dragon Facts

The term 'sea dragon' may create a fearsome image in your mind. In reality, sea dragons are marine fish that belong to the family Syngnathidae, which consists of sea dragons, sea horses and pipefish. The characteristic features of this family are the long snouts, fused jaws and absence of pelvic fins and the role of males in fertilization and incubation. In short, this family includes some amazing marine fish which look different from conventional fish. Sea dragons belong to the genus Phycodurus and Phyllopteryx. Both genus have only one species each, called the leafy sea dragon (Phycodurus eques) and weedy sea dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) respectively.

Facts About Leafy Sea Dragon

So, now you know that sea dragons are not fearsome marine animals, but are small marine fish. There are two types of sea dragons - leafy and weedy sea dragons. The leafy sea dragon is one of the most amazing, beautiful and delicate marine fish, due to its leafy appendages.

Why the Name Leafy Sea Dragon?
As the name rightly suggests, this sea dragon has a body covered with leafy appendages. They look like sea horses, but, differ from the latter in various aspects. The most common among the differences are the presence of leafy appendages on their body, absence of coiled tail and absence of a belly pouch for rearing the young. In short, the name leafy sea dragon is derived from the leafy appendages on the body of this fish. These appendages are so ornate and delicate, that the fish looks beautiful and fragile at the same time. However, they have an armor of scales, that cover and protect the body. The leafy appendages are actually meant for the purpose of camouflage, as it is very difficult to differentiate this fish from the floating seaweed. These leafy appendages are generally green to yellowish brown in color and can change color according to the surroundings. This color changing nature of this fish may vary with factors like age, diet, stress levels and location.

Physical Features
Now, have a basic idea about the appearance of leafy sea dragon with leafy appendages. However, these appendages have no role in the movement of the fish, which is mainly accomplished with the help of a pectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin, which is located on the back of the tail. These fins are also very small and transparent. Another interesting fact about this fish is its eyes and mouth. They have two eyes above its snout and these eyes have the ability to move independently. In short, this fish can look at many directions, at the same time. This amazing creature has no teeth, but a long snout, which helps them to suck in small fish, shrimp, mysids and plankton. They catch prey with the help of their ability to camouflage and the prey is sucked through the straw-like snout.

Habitat and Habits
Leafy sea dragons are usually found in the Australian waters, but, travel to far regions and return to the original spot. Their habitat includes rocky reefs, seaweed beds, sea grass meadows and sand patches near coral reefs covered with sea weeds. They are very slow-moving animals and while moving, they look like drifting sea weed only. This makes this fish, the only animal in the world, which hides by moving. Even though, they have the ability to camouflage, they are also equipped with long, sharp spines on their body to defend themselves.

Reproduction
One of the unique features of this fish is that the male members are responsible for caring for the eggs and carrying the young ones. A female can produce up to 250 pink-colored eggs, which are then deposited on the male's tail through a tube-like appendage. These eggs get themselves attached to the brood patch on the tail of the male. The brood patch provides the eggs with oxygen and fertilizes them. The eggs will hatch after nine weeks, but the time taken for hatching may vary with the water conditions. During this nine-week period, the color of the eggs change from pink to purple or orange. The hatching process is aided by the males, who pump their tails till the young ones emerge from the eggs. Only a small percent (around 5%) of the eggs survive to form young sea dragons, which become completely independent, soon after birth. They reach sexual maturity within 28 months.

Apart from predators, leafy sea dragon is threatened by both human activities and natural conditions. While they are washed ashore during strong storms, humans catch them for preparing alternative medicine as well as to keep in aquariums. However, these marine fish cannot survive outside their natural habitat. Now they are listed as 'near threatened' and it is protected by law in Australia.