- Where to see one
- 5 U.S. zoos in our directory hold seahorse, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the seahorse
Seahorses are small marine bony fish in the genus Hippocampus, which has 47 species. They live in shallow tropical and temperate seas between about 45°S and 45°N, in sheltered places such as seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs and mangroves. A seahorse swims upright by fluttering its dorsal fin and often rests with its prehensile tail wound around a stationary object. It has no stomach and must eat constantly, sucking small crustaceans such as mysid shrimp into its long snout. In reproduction the male carries the eggs in a brood pouch on his tail and releases fully developed young after 9 to 45 days.
Seahorse facts
- The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch; a female can deposit up to 1,500 eggs in it.
- The dwarf seahorse is the slowest-moving fish in the world, with a top speed of about 1.5 m per hour.
- Seahorses have no stomach, so they must eat constantly to stay alive.
- A seahorse's eyes move independently of each other, like those of a chameleon.
Where to see seahorse in the U.S.
5 zoos across 4 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 5 zoos holding seahorse by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
