What Do You Know About the Tiger Tail Seahorse?

All about tiger tail Seahorse

Scientific name : 
​Hippocampus Comes

Along with other types of seahorse, pipefish and seadragons, the tiger tail seahorse belongs to the Syngathidae family. They can grow up to 18.7 cm and have a lifespan of 1-5 years.
They can sport different patterns but the most commonly seen is alternating yellow and black.

Tiger tail seahorse

​Habitat of the Tigertail Seahorse

​You can find Tiger tail seahorses in the waters of Western Central Pacific : West Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Adults prefer to live in pairs on coral reef, sponge and kelp between 10 and 30 meters, but the juveniles will often cling to a type of seaweed called Saragassum.

BEHAVIOR

Seahorses in general are more active at night.

• Tiger tail seahorses swim vertically with only the dorsal fin for propulsion so they aren't holding any records for speed. Their pectoral fins below the gill are used for stability and steering.
• Seahorses are very shy animals, usually found hiding in bushy corals reefs.  They tend to stay in the same area for feeding, reproducing and nesting. Which means that once we find their home we can see them cruise after cruise at the same spot.
• Juveniles feed on zooplankton (small water invertebrates), while adults feed on small benthic animals like crabs, shrimps, clams…Benthic animals, as opposite to pelagics, live close or on the bottom of the oceans.

The male seahorse accepting eggs only from one female

• They have no stomach or teeth and feed through suction. 
• Still their sneaky hunting technics give them a 90% kill rate.
• They are the only fish with a neck and a prehensile tail they can use to grab onto anything
• They are master of disguise and can change the shape and color of their skin to blend in their environment.

​REPRODUCTION

​Tigertail seahorses are monogamous!
The male accepts eggs only from one female, and both male and female are faithful partners.
Their courtship dance can last for a week before mating. 
The female deposits up to 2,000 eggs into the male’s brood pouch to be fertilised. The male protects and nourishes the young in his pouch for 1 to 4 weeks. When the babies are born they are left to fend for themselves.

​THREATS

• The tiger tail seahorse is in high demand as medicine and street food in China as well as the aquarium trade. Although CITES has controlled their import and export since 2014, 20 million seahorses a year are fished and sold to the Chinese market.
• Thailand is the world’s largest exporters of seahorses, which is very sad to hear. There is a silver lining however as this is a good indication of the large number of seahorses in the area.
• Habitat damage : The coral reefs have been experiencing bleaching phases due to climate change, and are frequently destroyed by dynamite fishing.

How to identify the tigertail from the other seahorses?

Project seahorse, a marine conservation group dedicated to seahorse and their ecosystem protection published this lovely chart to identify the various species we can find in Asia.
Thailand is home to seven of the 14 seahorse species found in Southeast Asia.

The tigertail seahorse has a spiny body (with blunt spines), a high nose spine and double cheek spines. Its stripped tail is also a great way to differentiate it from other seahorses.

Tiger tail and Thorny Seahorse are the two most commonly encountered species in Myanmar

The biodiversity of Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar is no longer a secret. For the diving and
photography lovers, who are looking for rare species and experience, the region is sure to deliver an unforgettable experience.

Sighting of Tiger tails seahorses are a sure things here if you go with the right guides!

As you probably guessed from this article, we are big fans of seahorse...
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We have been in contact recently with Seahorse project and iSeahorse and will start uploading our regular sightings in their worldwide database. 
Would you like to participate to this citizen science project?