About Seahorse Sleuth
Seahorse Sleuth is a website that enables users to identify seahorse species using DNA sequences. It is an expansion of an approach that has already been implemented for whales and dolphins. Seahorse Sleuth compares a DNA sequence submitted by the user with a set of reference sequences from vouchered seahorse specimens
Read more »Fascinating Seahorses
As their scientific name Hippocampus implies, seahorses have the head of a horse (hippo-horse, campus-head). Combined with a curvy prehensile tail, a series of armor like body rings, and exotic stripe-ringed eyes that move independently while scoping out tiny floating prey, seahorses present a mythical image. It’s easy to understand why early naturalists didn’t even recognize them as fishes!
Read more »Overharvested Seahorses
We know relatively little about seahorse biology and ecology, and even less about population size, distribution, and health for most seahorse species. At the same time, many seahorse populations are being heavily impacted by direct and indirect harvest. Seahorses are threatened primarily by their demand as an ingredient for many traditional Chinese medicines.
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