Seahorses are a type of small fish that have armored plates all over their body (they don't have scales). There are about 50 different species of seahorses around the world. They live in seaweed beds in warm water and are very slow swimmers. Seahorses can change their color to camouflage (hide) themselves in order to hide from enemies. The most unusual seahorse is the Australian sea horse, which has leaf-like camouflage all over its body, making it almost disappear in the seaweed bed.

Anatomy: Seahorses have a long, horse-like head (hence their name) and a curled tail. Seahorses range in size from under a centimeter long (Pygmy Seahorses) to about 1 foot (30 cm) long.

Reproduction: The female seahorse produces eggs, but they are held inside the male's body until they hatch; he is pregnant for about 40 to 50 days. The sea horse is the only animal in which the father is pregnant.

Classification: Kingdom: Animalia (animals), Phylum: Chordata, Class: Osteichthyes (bony fish), Order: Gasterosteiformes (armored, small-mouthed fish), Family: Syngnathidae (pipe fish), Genus: Hippocampus (meaning "horse sea monster" in Greek), and many species.

Classification:
1. Are seahorses a type of fish? ___________________

2. Who produces seahorse eggs, the male or female? _____________________

3. Who holds the eggs inside their body until they hatch, the male or female? _________________

4. Are seahorses fast or slow swimmers? ________________________

5. Do seahorses have scales or armored plates on their body? _____________________