Ribboned Seadragon

Description:

Ribboned seadragons, not true seadragons, but a member of the pipefish group of fish, are sometimes referred to as pipehorses. They have a slender, elongated body with bony knobs above the eyes and spines on the body ridges. They do not have scales, instead they are encased in a series of bony rings. Their small mouth is at the tip of a long, tube-like snout. They range in color from greenish-yellow to brownish red depending on their habitat. Ones found in shallow water are mainly greenish-yellow, whereas those in deeper water and often caught in trawls, are brown to reddish with an irregular blotched pattern. Males and females differ slightly; males have a brood pouch.

Habitat:

At the Florida Aquarium in Tampa