The Pacific Seahorse would seem to be a movie natural. This fish is dramatic yellow in color, with sparkling eyes and a hairdo-looking tuft on its head that would be at home on a Dr. Seuss character.
But few have seen this elusive seahorse, Hippocampus ingens, in its natural habitat, and fewer still have been able to capture the seahorse on film in the wild.
Underwater photographer Scott Gietler this week shared with me what he says are the first underwater photographs of the Pacific Seahorse off the California coast that have ever been published. One of the images even shows a pregnant male seahorse, with a bellyful of babies, starting to give birth.
The look in his eyes pretty much says it all.
"These unique marine life images were taken while scuba diving in San Diego, California," Gietler said, adding that the species "was previously found only from Mexico to Peru," but 25 years ago started to show up near San Diego.
He discovered the horse-looking fish in thick algae
where they can camouflage themselves.
Kimo Morris, Marine Biology professor at Mount San Antonio College, thinks it's a good sign that Gietler found the elusive species.
“This is also why artificial reefs work,” Morris said. “Fish enjoy the protection of a 3-D environment. The presence of the seahorse can be viewed as an anecdotal indicator of the recovery of eelgrass habitat. The fact that we are finding them there is a great sign, especially given the fact that they are hard to find.”
To read more about the Pacific Seahorse and to see additional photos, please visit this Underwater Photography Guide page.
Tags: Animal Behavior, Fish, Marine Life, Oceans, Photography,
comments ( )