All creatures are unique. What special marine creature did you find on your last scuba dive? The one in the above photo is Daphne, a Pacific Seahorse Hippocampus Ingens. She’s also sometime referred to as a Giant Seahorse. This is because Pacific Seahorses are the largest seahorses in the world. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but Daphne currently measures in at 9.5 inches long. Kenny, the largest in the colony, is a whopping 11.75 inches!
This colony of seahorses is cared for by Roger Hanson and his assistants, Jade Scuba Adventures. The colony has 2 mating pairs of seahorses. Daphne is approximately 38 months old, making her the oldest seahorse in the colony. The Pacific Seahorse has a life expectancy of 60 months. These seahorses are currently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. If you find one on your scuba dive, you’re incredibly lucky! We recommend you don’t disturb them and keep their location secret except from a trusted organization working to take care of the seahorses and get them off the threatened species list.
Did you know that the female seahorse impregnates the male? That’s right! The male seahorse carries the eggs until giving live birth to hundreds of baby seahorses commonly referred to as Fry. Ladies, doesn’t that sound nice?
Data above was pulled from personal research with the seahorse colony and marinebio.org. Photo courtesy of Jade Scuba Adventures. Jade Scuba Adventures is a Scuba Diving Training, Gear, and Travel company based out of Huntington Beach, Orange County, California. We’re centrally located close to Seal Beach, Westminster, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Long Beach. We love scuba diving out of Laguna Beach, Redondo Beach, and the Channel Islands, especially Catalina Island. Come out and dive with us!
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