Arquivos de periódicos de junho 2017

02 de junho de 2017

April's featured sighting - H. jayakari

April’s featured iSeahorse observation is a Jayakar’s seahorse (Hippocampus jayakari). This lovely portrait was taken off the coast of Dahab, Egypt, by iSeahorse user poseidon. The username poseidon is certainly apt for a fish-whispering diver, as the Poseidon of Greek mythology is said to ride a chariot pulled by aquatic equines called hippocampi, which allegedly have horse heads and fish tails (sort of like seahorses… or horse mermaids!).

The knowledge that Jayakar’s seahorses live in Egyptian waters is relatively new. The 2003 H. jayakari IUCN Red List assessment listed Israel, Oman and Pakistan as habitat for the species, but there was no mention of Egypt. There is still minimal information available on the Jayakar’s seahorse, so it is currently classified as Data Deficient (although this may change soon as we are in the middle of reassessing it).

It’s astonishing how much we still don’t know about our planet! Hopefully, the knowledge that there is a multitude of saltwater secrets awaiting discovery will provide an incentive to protect our oceans. Who knows where else the Jayakar’s seahorse could be swimming? iSeahorse users like you could help us find out!

View the original iSeahorse observation

Peruse the H. jayakari IUCN profile

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Posted on 02 de junho de 2017, 10:02 PM by projectseahorse projectseahorse | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

19 de junho de 2017

A great seahorse (H. kelloggii) from Australia

May’s featured iSeahorse observation is of a great seahorse (Hippocampus kelloggi), submitted by an equally great iSeahorse contributor, Andrew Trevor-Jones! This pic was snagged off the coast of New South Wales, Australia, but the species is also found (if you can spot them, that is - clearly their camouflage skills aren’t too shabby) in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, The Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

Great seahorses, also known as Kellogg’s seahorses and offshore seahorses, are one of the five most reported Hippocampus species in international trade and are subjected to both legal and illegal trade. In 2012, it was believed that the great seahorse population had declined at least 30% compared to ten to fifteen years prior and that the trend was predicted to continue. The IUCN red list currently lists H. kelloggi as a vulnerable species

Dynamite fishing is another threat faced by the great seahorse. This destructive practice involves the use of explosives to stun or kill large quantities of fish, which frequently decimates the surrounding habitat and kills creatures that weren’t the intended targets.

In addition to being an avid iSeahorse contributor, Andrew Trevor-Jones has many other iNaturalist posts worth checking out, including sightings of seahorse relatives like pipefishes, seamoths, ghostfishes and seadragons. He’s also encountered aquatic oddities such as a painted stinkfish, a yellow crested weedfish and an eastern cleaner clingfish. 

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Posted on 19 de junho de 2017, 08:23 PM by projectseahorse projectseahorse | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário