The leafy sea dragon sometimes referred to as Glauert’s sea dragon, and the only member of the Phycodurus genus is a marine fish of the Syngnathidae order also known to include seahorses.
The sea dragon which is primarily found along the western and southern coastline of Australia gets its name from its appearance of having a number of long leaf-like projections extending from its entire body used as a type of camouflage for the fish.
The leafy sea dragon moves through the water using a pectoral fin situated on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin found on its back appearing closer to the furthermost part of its tail. These fins appear as more or less transparent and quite difficult to see as they meticulously ripple to propel the fish through the water creating an illusion of a floating seaweed.
Fondly referred to by its nickname “leafies” the leafy sea dragon is acknowledged as the marine emblem of the southern state Australia and a cornerstone of marine conservation within the region.
Facts About Sea Dragons
- Leafy sea dragons are mainly found to habitat exclusively in the southern waters of the Australian continent, from Victoria’s Wilson’s Promontory at the eastern region spanning westward to Jurien Bay and north of the capital of Western Australia known as Perth.
- The leafy sea dragon similar to the seahorse gets its name from its likeness in appearance to the mythical dragon and although they are not as big, they are however somewhat larger than the average seahorse and generally tend to grow between 8-10 inches.
- Sea dragons are known to mainly feed on small crustaceans such as larval fish, amphipods, mysid shrimp and plankton by sucking them up through a long pipe-like snout.
- The lobe-like structures of skin which grow on the leafy sea dragon allows the fish to maintain its camouflage appearance when swimming through the water by creating the illusion of a piece of seaweed floating in the water. These lobes known to change in color according to the sea dragon’s diet, location, age and pressure allows the fish to effectively blend in within its environment.
- Leafy sea dragons are frequently known for their nongregarious lifestyle. Male sea dragons will first pursue the females for mating both returning to their solitary life once the moment the young sea dragons are hatched.
- The male leafy sea dragon much like the male seahorse cares for the eggs of their young. Female sea dragons will produce as much as 250 brightly colored pink eggs after which they are deposited onto the tail of the make sea dragon using her long tube known as an ovipositor. The deposited eggs will then affix themselves to a brood plot which will supply them with the necessary oxygen before hatching. These eggs depending on the conditions will generally hatch after a period of around 9-10 weeks during which they will experience a change in color from bright pink to purple and sometimes orange.
- The male leafy sea dragon for the next 24-48 hours will pump, shake and rub his tail against seaweed and rocks to aid in the hatching of the eggs. Once the young leafy sea dragons emerge they become completely independent, feeding on small zooplankton until they are old enough to pursue mysids. Notably only 5% of the total eggs produced by the female leafy sea dragon will survive and will generally reach sexual maturity between 28 to 30 months.
- Both the leafy sea dragon and the pipefish belong to the same family Syngnathidae which also included the seahorse. However the leafy sea dragon is known to differ from the seahorse in its size and visual aspect, its ability to move through the water and its incapability to hold and coil objects by using its tail. The leafy sea dragon is additionally known for its small ball-shaped gill openings naturally covering its crested gills vastly different from the semilunar-shaped gill openings seen in most species of fish.
- The leafy sea dragon while moving through the water will use its fins on the sides of its head to turn and steer itself. The outer skin however is quite stiff and as such limits the mobility of the leafy sea dragon. Studies have revealed that the leafy sea dragon can remain in one position for as much as up to 68 hours as well as continue moving for extended periods of time capable of moving as fast as up to 490 feet per hour.
- It was once considered that leafy sea dragons were restricted in their movement. However further studies revealed that the leafy sea dragon can travel several hundreds of meters from their original habitat, later returning to the precise location indicating that the species has a strong directional sense.
- The leafy sea dragon is subject to both man-made and naturally occurring threats. Leafy sea dragons are frequently captured by collectors to be used as an alternative form of medicine. Young leafy sea dragons when just hatched are generally slow swimmers and unable to escape from predators. Dissimilar to the seahorse the leafy sea dragon cannot curl its tail to grasp seagrass to secure its safety and as a result are frequently washed toward land after storms. Industrial runoff, pollution and the threat of being collected by divers transfixed by their striking appearance have all contributed to the endangerment of the species. In response to these continued threats to ensure the survival of the leafy sea dragon Southern, Western Australia and Victoria have enacted a number of policies aimed towards the protection of the species recognizing the leafy sea dragon to be considered as a primary factor of any development project.
- As they are legislatively protected, acquiring leafy sea dragons is a costly and demanding process as they must first be bred from captive stock, requiring exporters to validate proof and a license showing that their current stock was collected prior to the restrictions put in place to preserve the species.
Aquarium of The Pacific Sea Dragon Web Cam
Southern California’s largest Aquarium, the Aquarium of the Pacific is the fourth most attended aquarium in the United States. Displaying more than 11.000 animals in over 50 exhibits representing a vast diversity of Pacific Ocean the Aquarium houses a weedy sea dragon exhibit located in the Tropical Pacific gallery of the aquarium.
Visitors to the Aquarium of The Pacific website can watch a live and relaxing broadcast of the weedy sea dragon by visiting the link posted below.
View Aquarium of The Pacific Sea Dragon Web Cam.