Lined seahorses arrived at shell museum
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel recently reported that lined seahorses (Hippocampus erectus) are now on display in its “Beyond Shells: Living Gallery.”
Lined seahorses have a wide habitat range, including the Pine Island Sound. The outer surface of their body is composed of bony plates, a long snout and a prehensile tail. Their tails are like an extra limb that allows them to grasp onto vegetation or other objects — even a queen conch — for extra support.
Lined seahorses are poor swimmers, as they only have one small fin on their back that flutters up to 35 times per second. They use their elongated toothless snout to create a vacuum that sucks up food, which consists of tiny shrimp. Seahorses also lack a true stomach, which means they must eat a large amount of food to make up for their inefficient digestive system.
The lined seahorses are on display with the queen conchs and milk conch.
“These three species can all be found naturally living together in the Florida Keys,” Senior Aquarist Carly Hulse said. “Come view these elegant fish after attending our 11 a.m. daily Keeper Chat.”
For more information, visit www.shellmuseum.org or call 239-395-2233.
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is at 3075 Sanibel Captiva Road, Sanibel.