Yellow Seahorse Stock Photo

Seahorses are unique because the male hatches the eggs in a pouch on his belly. The female inserts her ovipositor into the male’s brood pouch and deposits dozens to thousands of eggs. As the female releases her eggs, her body slims while his swells. The male releases his sperm directly into the water; sperm then fertilize the eggs in the pouch. The fertilised eggs are then embedded in the pouch wall.They get nutrition and oxygen from the fluid in the pouch. In the pouch, the salinity of the water is regulated; this prepares the newborns for life in the sea. The seahorse is quite a unique creature, and thought to have mystical significance among the Ancient Greeks, European alchemists and Asians. The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed the seahorse was an attribute of the sea god Neptune/Poseidon and as such, the seahorse was considered a symbol of strength and power.