Editing Seahorse (section)

==Description==
[[File:Hippocampus hystrix (Spiny seahorse).jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Spiny seahorse ''[[Hippocampus histrix|H.&nbsp;histrix]]'' from [[East Timor]] holding on to soft coral with its prehensile tail]]
[[File:Hippocampus jayakari, Egipto.jpg|thumb|''H. jayakari'']]
Seahorses range in size from {{convert|1.5|to|35|cm|in|1|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/sea-horse/ |title=Seahorses, Seahorse Pictures, Seahorse Facts |magazine=National Geographic |access-date=17 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014061634/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/hub/seahorses/|archive-date=14 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> They are named for their [[Horse|equine]] appearance, with bent necks and long snouted heads and a distinctive trunk and tail. Although they are [[bony fish]], they do not have scales, but rather thin skin stretched over a series of bony plates, which are arranged in rings throughout their bodies. Each species has a distinct number of rings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur mer |url=http://www.obs-banyuls.fr/ |website=www.obs-banyuls.fr |access-date=2015-11-16}}</ref> The armor of bony plates also protects them against predators,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Porter |first1=Michael M |last2=Novitskaya |first2=Ekaterina |last3=Castro-Ceseña |first3=Ana Bertha |last4=Meyers |first4=Marc A |last5=McKittrick |first5=Joanna |date=2013 |title=Highly deformable bones: Unusual deformation mechanisms of seahorse armor |journal=Acta Biomaterialia |volume=9 |issue=6 |pages=6763–6770 |doi=10.1016/j.actbio.2013.02.045 |pmid=23470547}}</ref> and because of this outer skeleton, they no longer have ribs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161214151616.htm |title=The galloping evolution in seahorses: Entire genome of the seahorse sequenced |website=ScienceDaily}}</ref> Seahorses swim upright, propelling themselves using the [[dorsal fin]], another characteristic not shared by their close [[pipefish]] relatives, which swim horizontally. [[Aeoliscus strigatus|Razorfish]] are the only other fish that swim vertically. The [[pectoral fin]]s, located on either side of the head behind their eyes, are used for steering. They lack the [[caudal fin]] typical of fishes. Their [[prehensile tail]] is composed of square-like rings that can be unlocked only in the most extreme conditions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Porter |first1=Michael M |last2=Adriaens |first2=Dominique |last3=Hatton |first3=Ross L |last4=Meyers |first4=Marc A |last5=McKittrick |first5=Joanna |title=Why the seahorse tail is square |journal=Science |date=2015 |volume=349 |issue=6243 |page=aaa6683 |doi=10.1126/science.aaa6683 |pmid=26138983 |doi-access=free }}</ref> They are adept at camouflage, and can grow and reabsorb spiny appendages depending on their habitat.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Seahorse Tagging Project, Studland Bay, Dorset, UK |journal=Marine Biodiversity Records |date=2010-01-01 |issn=1755-2672 |volume=3 |doi=10.1017/S175526721000062X |first1=N. |last1=Garrick-Maidment |first2=S. |last2=Trewhella |first3=J. |last3=Hatcher |first4=K.j. |last4=Collins |first5=J.j. |last5=Mallinson|doi-broken-date=14 April 2025 |bibcode=2010MBdR....3E..73G }}</ref>

Unusual among fish, a seahorse has a flexible, well-defined neck. It also sports a crown-like spine or horn on its head, termed a "coronet", which is distinct for each species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Freret-Meurer |first=Natalie |title=Seahorse Fingerprints: A New Individual Identification Technique |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes |year=2013 |volume=96 |issue=12 |pages=1399–1405 |doi=10.1007/s10641-013-0118-6 |bibcode=2013EnvBF..96.1399F |s2cid=13917616}}</ref>

Seahorses swim extremely poorly, rapidly fluttering a dorsal fin and using pectoral fins to steer. The slowest-moving fish in the world is ''[[Hippocampus zosterae|H.&nbsp;zosterae]]'' (the dwarf seahorse), with a top speed of about {{convert|5|ft|m|1|order=flip|abbr=on}} per hour.<ref>[[Guinness Book of World Records]] (2009)</ref> Since they are poor swimmers, they are most likely to be found resting with their prehensile tail wound around a stationary object. They have long snouts, which they use to suck up food, and their eyes can move independently of each other like those of a [[chameleon]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lourie |first1=Sara |title=Seahorses: A Life-size Guide to Every Species |publisher=Ivy Press |isbn=9781782403210 |language=en |year=2016}}</ref>