Male seahorse gives birth to more than 300 babies in Santa Catarina aquarium

A seahorse of the species Hippocampus reidi gave birth to more than 300 babies at the Oceanic Aquarium, in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, this Tuesday, 16th. The moment was recorded by the aquarium's management leader, Tamiane Laffer, in a video which shows the adult male expelling the young. According to the institution, seahorses are the only species in which it is the male who hatches and gives birth to the young.

“They are known as long-snouted seahorses. The species has a great ability to camouflage itself, and can change color to be confused with the habitat where they live. It has a more elongated head and its eyes can move in opposite directions at the same time. Adults can reach an average of 17 centimeters in length,” the Oceanic Aquarium reported on the species, celebrating the first time a seahorse was born at the aquarium.

According to the institution, the fish live in an aquarium exclusively for them and can live up to 5 or 7 years. The species' gestation lasts an average of one month and the young are around 2 millimeters long. It is common that, of the more than 300, many do not survive. “But the technical team’s effort is now to ensure that as many babies survive as possible,” says the aquarium.

The parents were born at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, “so this is the second generation of the seahorse family to reproduce and be born under human care.” Breeding in captivity means that animals cannot be released into the wild, as they would probably not survive in the wild.

However, according to the Oceanic Aquarium, reproduction contributes to the sustainable maintenance of the population of the species that lives in the aquarium. Biologists say that growing species in captivity is important for research and preservation.