Pipefish

in October 2011 - Marine Scene

Pipefish are the slightly less comical version of their close cousins, the seahorses. Instead of the cute mounded seahorse tummy, pipefish are sleek and snake-like. Their heads are however straight from the seahorse stable, being horse-like and having a snout of varying lengths, depending on the species. They're called pipefish because of these snouts, which have a toothless mouth at their upturned ends. Pipefish use their snouts to suck up small crustaceans from the surrounding water, just like seahorses do.

All species have a dorsal fin, which in some pipefish is their only means of getting around, so like seahorses, they are pretty weak swimmers. One more specialised group, the flagtail pipefish, have a reasonably well developed tail fin and are relatively speedy.
Also like seahorses, male pipefish are the primary bearer of the young. Mating pairs perform elaborate courtship dances after which the female deposits her eggs with the male. The eggs are deposited onto a spongy patch on the male's belly or in a fold of skin or even a pouch, depending on the species. Many of the internal brooding species are polyandrous, where the female mates with two or more males.

Most species have young which are born as miniature versions of the adults, while some live in the plankton as larvae for a while before settling and taking on their adult form. This might be a safer option in many cases, since some of the pipefish fathers confuse their newborn offspring with food and eat them.