The word ‘hippocampus’ comes from the Greek language, where ‘hippo’ means horse and ‘campus’ means sea monster. There’s really nothing monstrous about the modern hippocampus, which is the scientific word for the genus of 54 species of seahorses. Though many of them have the typical horse head, the hippocampus genus has some truly unusual and interesting species that couldn’t be less monstrous!
Spiny Seahorse
via flickr/jidanchaomian
Unlike many other seahorses in the sea, the spiny seahorse is a bit of a wanderer. It can live in sea grass beds or in spongy reef areas, making it highly adaptable and extremely hardy. While most species of seahorses are on the delicate side, and therefore bound to relatively small territories, the spiny seahorse can willfully go anywhere in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
Big Belly Seahorse
via flickr/Aaron Gustafson
The big belly seahorse is also known as the potbelly seahorse, and it is so called for its adorably protruding abdominal area. Don’t let the belly fool you if you should spot it on a female member — like other seahorses, only the males get pregnant, nursing the eggs in a pouch in their bodies until their brood is ready to swim free.
Pygmy Seahorse
via flickr/Stephen Childs
The pygmy seahorse acquires its name because of its diminutive size. At a fully grown stage, these adorable fish are less than an inch in height. Even better, they have a knobby texture to their bodies that is splotched pink and white, allowing them to better hide in the specific type of coral upon which they live.
Dwarf Seahorse
via flickr/Will Thomas – Creative Commons Account
It may come as a surprise, but in general, seahorses are not good swimmers. They can drown in storms because they cannot navigate the water. However, if you ever go to a seahorse race, it would not be wise to bet on the dwarf seahorse. This specimen can only swim just five feet in an hour!
White’s Seahorse
via flickr/Sylke Rohrlach
These seahorses are quite lovely, having the ability to blend in with their environment in a matter of moments. However, one thing that distinguishes this species is that they are quite territorial. They like to stay in one place, sometimes confining themselves to a single sponge or coral, and will stay there for years at time.