Seahorse

Conservation status: endangered

The seahorse is one of the interesting inhabitants of the Black Sea. It is actually a fish of the sea needle family, but it has no scales. It inhabits shallow coastal waters and hides in sea grass and seaweed. Its body has a bizarre shape that looks very much like a knight's chess piece. It feeds mainly on small crustaceans, sometimes on fish larvae. Seahorses are not good swimmers, they even hold the record for the slowest moving fish (1.5 mph), so they use their tail to latch onto various objects. Seahorses' eyes can move on their own and look 300 degrees, much like chameleons. When breeding season comes, seahorses gather in pairs. They have a mating ritual that begins with a beautiful dance, with bows and twirls, similar to a waltz, and when they are done with it the female lays her eggs in a pouch that is inside the body of the male, who takes care of the eggs until the young hatch.