Description

Among many remarkable attributes of seahorses, their male pregnancy has to be the most spectacular. A female transfers eggs to a male’s enclosed brood pouch. The male then fertilizes the eggs, giving him certainty of paternity, a confidence that is rare among animals. The embryos settle into the tissue of the brood pouch, where they are provided oxygen through a capillary network and nutrition through a placental fluid (with adult diet apparently affecting embryonic development).