Males Give Birth - Sea Dragon

Males Give Birth - Sea Dragon 

The leafy seadragon or Glauert's seadragon, Phycodurus eques, is a marine fish in the family Syngnathidae, which also includes the seahorses. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus. It is found along the southern and western coasts of Australia. The name is derived from the appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body. These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. The leafy seadragon propels itself by means of a pectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin on its back closer to the tail end. These small fins are almost completely transparent and difficult to see as they undulate minutely to move the creature sedately through the water, completing the illusion of floating seaweed.

The leafy sea dragon is approximately 14 inches (36 cm) in length when fully grown.
A deep-water individual is darker brown to burgundy red in color, while the shallow water sea dragon is yellow or greenish.

This type of sea dragon actually belongs to the same family as sea horses (Sygnathidae), but differs in appearance from the latter by possessing leaf-like appendages on its head and body. Unlike seahorses, its tail does not coil up.  

The sea dragon has an ‘S’ shaped body and swims horizontally. It also has a tube-like mouth that is uses like a drinking straw to suck up food.   

It has no scales, but is covered with jointed, armor-like plates.

The leafy sea dragon eats mysids (small shrimp-like animals that live among the weeds) and
other crustaceans.

With its leaf-like appendages, the sea dragon camouflages itself perfectly among seaweed and sea grass. It is nearly impossible to find one among the plants, as the leafy sea dragon tends to slowly sway back and forth with the current, simulating the movement of the seaweed.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about the leafy sea dragon is that the male of the species “gives birth”. During mating, the female lays 100 to 250 ruby red eggs onto a special “brood patch” on the underside of the male's tail, where they are pushed into the skin andfertilized. During each breeding season, the male leafy sea dragon will hatch two batches of eggs. About four to six weeks after fertilization, the male “gives birth” to the young. The offspring are about 1.4 inches (35 mm) long and unroll from their coiled position in the egg capsule by coming out tail first. After about 3 to 6 hours they are ready to swim away. A few individuals hatch out at the same time over a period of six to seven days. In this manner, the male can distribute the young over a wide area. As soon as a newborn sea dragon leaves the safety of its father's tail, it is independent and receives no further assistance from the parents.