sea dragon

Dragon Facts

Hailong's physical characteristics

color

• Brown
• grey
• yellow
• Red
• Black
• white
• tan
• green
• orange

skin type

scales

life

2 – 10 years

length

20 cm – 24 cm (10" – 12")

The second species of sea dragon is the weedy sea dragon, Phylopteryx taeniolatus , sometimes called the common sea dragon. The first part of its scientific name comes from the Greek "phyhllon" for leaf and "pteryx" for fin or wing. The second part of its name is based on the Latin word "taeniolar", which means ribbon.

Finally, the third known species of sea dragon is the ruby sea dragon, Phylopteryx dewysea . The first part of its name is the same as a weed sea dragon or a common sea dragon. The second part of its scientific name, dewysea , honors longtime sea dragon supporter and researcher Mary "Dewy" Lowe, who included the word "sea" because of her deep love for the sea.

These animals are a type of pipefish with a long and narrow body and tail. They also have camouflage to help protect them from predators. For example, the leafy sea dragon's body is covered with leaf-like appendages that help it hide in seaweed and kelp. Its body color ranges from yellow to brown with olive spots, which increase its ability to hide among the underwater vegetation it makes its home in.

Conversely, the weedy sea dragon has only a few appendages, but these appendages are just enough to break up its silhouette and help it blend into the environment. This fish usually lives on the bottom of the sea rather than in seaweed and kelp – with reddish and yellow spots or markings.

Ruby sea dragons are deep red in color and have only a few very short stumps. Not much is known about this sea dragon, but scientists think its coloring helps hide it in the deeper water it lives in, since red is nearly invisible in the depths of the ocean.

All three animals tend to drift with the water because they are not strong swimmers. Instead of chasing their prey, they hide and wait for their prey, ambush it when it approaches them. They do have small fins on their back and sides which are used for propulsion, but these almost invisible fins are not very powerful and are mainly used for maneuvering and slow swimming. Neither leafy sea dragons nor weedy sea dragons have graspable tails, which means they can't use them to grab branches or anything, but ruby sea dragons do have graspable tails, which they can use when they choose to do so. They fix themselves in one position.

Sea dragons are shy, solitary fish that do not live in groups, although they have been observed in pairs. Most of the time, they float freely in the water, effortlessly controlling where they go, looking more like seaweed than fish. Individuals vary widely in length, but typical sea dragons can reach 18 inches in length, which is slightly longer than the height of a bowling pin. Leafy seadragons are smaller than weedy seadragons.

These animals are carnivores, but their food is limited because their mouths are long tubes and their jaws cannot be opened. Sea dragons hide and wait for their prey, ambush and eat anything small enough to fit in their mouths. They eat fish larvae, tiny crustaceans, very small fish, sea lice, mysis, worms and zooplankton.

They swallow their food whole because they don't have jaws to chew on, and they don't have teeth. To capture prey, they use the powerful suction of their jaws to suck the prey in. They have to eat everything they eat as if drinking through a straw. Once it's in its mouth, sea dragons can swallow their prey whole.

It's unclear which predators, if any, these animals were afraid of. Scientists believe that sea dragons' camouflage helps them avoid attracting attention, so they aren't as targeted as many other species. They are also bony, which may make them less attractive to predators than many other fish species. However, if it encounters a predatory fish such as a shark, it still has the potential to treat it as a meal, since sea dragons have no defenses other than being able to hide. Almost anything will devour babies because they lack the camouflage of adult animals, and they hatch at the same time, so predators can easily find them. Not many young people survive to grow up.

The main threat to the continued existence of these animals is habitat destruction, primarily loss of algae and seagrass beds. This is caused by human activities, especially pollution, and changes brought about by global warming. These animals are also captured by humans as aquarium pets, an activity that severely reduces the population. In the 1990s, laws to protect sea dragons were enacted in most places where sea dragons are found, and at this point, populations appear to be fairly stable. Sea dragons do sometimes get entangled in fishing nets and die as a result, but this usually does not kill a large number of sea dragons.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the current conservation status of these animals is close to Threatened (NT). Current populations of these animals appear to be sufficient to support their survival in the wild, but that could change if habitat loss continues.

Little is known about the mating rituals of these animals. They do seem to have some sort of courtship behavior, with males approaching females during breeding season. Still, it's unclear what triggers their mating behavior. However, it is believed that males may compete with other males for breeding rights.

When the time is right, the female lays her pink eggs on the spongy skin under the male's tail. He fertilized them as they deposited. She can lay 100 to 300 eggs at a time. The male's skin forms tiny cups to hold the eggs in place, keeping them safe and oxygenated until they hatch. This can take anywhere from four to eight weeks, depending on conditions, especially water temperature. The warmer the water, the faster the eggs will hatch. Once a pair is formed, they stay together until spawning.

When the babies (also known as fry) hatch, they look like miniature versions of their parents, except that they lack any of the camouflage appendages that adult animals have. These begin to grow shortly after birth, but they won't do the newly hatched hatchlings any favors for at least a few days. Since the male's job is done after the babies hatch and the females are long gone, the cubs receive no care or adult protection from the moment they are born into the world. Lack of camouflage and parental care makes newborn babies easy targets for predators and results in high mortality rates.

The lifespan of these animals ranges from three to ten years, with six years being their average age. They can reproduce when they are about a year old, but more commonly they wait until they are sexually mature at about two years of age.

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