Editing Seahorse (section)

===Monogamy===
Though seahorses are not known to mate for life, many species form [[pair bond]]s that last through at least the breeding season. Some species show a higher level of mate fidelity than others.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Kvarnemo C |author2=Moore G.I |author3=Jones A.G |author4=Nelson W.S |author5=Avise J.C. |title=Monogamous pair bonds and mate switching in the Western Australian seahorse ''Hippocampus subelongatus'' |journal=J. Evol. Biol. |volume=13 |issue=6 |pages=882–8 |year=2000 |doi=10.1046/j.1420-9101.2000.00228.x|s2cid=40777563 |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2zm2d5gx }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/0003-3472(95)80011-5 |author1=Vincent C.J. |author2=Sadler L.M. |title=Faithful pair bonds in wild seahorses, ''Hippocampus whitei'' |journal=Anim. Behav. |volume=50 |pages=1557–1569 |year=1995 |url=http://courses.umass.edu/wfcon470/Vincent%20and%20Sadler%2095.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723140601/http://courses.umass.edu/wfcon470/Vincent%20and%20Sadler%2095.pdf |archive-date=23 July 2011 |issue=6 |s2cid=53192875 }}</ref> However, many species readily switch mates when the opportunity arises. ''H.&nbsp;abdominalis'' and ''H.&nbsp;breviceps'' have been shown to breed in groups, showing no continuous mate preference. Many more species' mating habits have not been studied, so it is unknown how many species are actually monogamous, or how long those bonds actually last.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fusedjaw.com/biology/seahorse-monogamy/ |title=What's Love Got to Do With It? The Truth About Seahorse Monogamy |publisher=fusedjaw.com |author=Weiss, Tami |date=10 April 2010}}</ref>

Although [[Monogamy in animals|monogamy]] within fish is not common, it does appear to exist for some. In this case, the [[mate guarding|mate-guarding]] hypothesis may be an explanation. This hypothesis states, "males remain with a single female because of ecological factors that make male parental care and protection of offspring especially advantageous."<ref>{{cite book |author=Alcock, John |author-link=John Alcock (behavioral ecologist) |title=Animal Behavior |publisher=Sinauer |location=Massachusetts |year=2005 |isbn=978-0878930050 |pages=370–1 |edition=8th }}</ref> Because the rates of survival for newborn seahorses are so low, incubation is essential. Though not proven, males could have taken on this role because of the lengthy period the females require to produce their eggs. If males incubate while females prepare the next clutch (amounting to a third of body weight), they can reduce the interval between clutches.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}