I read this on Yahoo News and just loved it. This is a pregnant, male, sea dragon in the Georgia Aquarium. The eggs are pretty easy to see at the end of his tail. Aren't these little creatures fascinating? I recently saw a documentary on Sea Horses, which are a cousin to the Sea Dragon. The male and female mate for life, and are just so adorable and delicate. They attach themselves to grasses on the sea floor and float along the currents, back and forth. They are always together, looking out for each other, taking care of each other. In the article they said they didn't know what makes them want to mate, but the documentary shared that they believe it has to do with tides and the moon. Interesting since this mating took place inside an aquarium, one must conclude that there must be something else triggering it. It is a very intricate mating event, but extremely rare to catch. In addition, the documentary explained why there is a decline the Sea Horse population around the world by showing buckets of dead, dried Sea Horses in Asian markets. Once again, over harvesting is to blame. Can we just leave some things alone and not eat it?
One thing I did notice is that the Sea Dragon keeps it eggs on the outside; the Sea Horse male however, actually keeps the eggs on the inside. Amazing! I wish I could go to the Georgia Aquarium and get an up close look at this. Maybe I will try and get out there this summer, but probably not until after the birthing has already taken place. Maybe there will be lots of babies to look at instead!
Happy Father's Day!
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