Beastfile · Marine Life

Leafy Sea Dragon

Phycodurus eques

Also known as Leafy Seadragon, Glauert’s Seadragon

A relative of the seahorse pretending, very convincingly, to be seaweed.

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Overview

The leafy sea dragon is a southern Australian fish related to seahorses and pipefish, and its whole strategy is imitation. Leaf-shaped lobes sprout along its body and do nothing for swimming; they exist to break up its outline among kelp and seagrass. Movement comes from two nearly transparent fins that beat fast enough to be almost invisible, so the animal appears to drift. It has no teeth and no stomach, and feeds by sucking tiny crustaceans through a long snout, eating more or less continuously. As with seahorses, the male carries the eggs, in his case fixed to a spongy patch under the tail.

Close view of a leafy sea dragon showing its long snout and leaf-like lobes

Photo: James Rosindell, CC BY-SA 4.0

Origin

Endemic to the southern and western coasts of Australia, in kelp beds, seagrass meadows and rocky reef in relatively shallow, cool water.

Habitat

Ocean

Notable Traits

•Leaf-shaped lobes for camouflage that play no part in swimming
•Moves using two near-invisible transparent fins
•No teeth and no stomach, so it must feed almost constantly
•The male carries the eggs beneath his tail
•Cannot curl its tail to grip, unlike a seahorse

Conservation

Least Concern on current assessment but protected under Australian law, with collection restricted. Its narrow range makes it sensitive to habitat damage, pollution and warming water.