About a hundred years ago (pre kids) I completed a diving course to become a qualified open water diver. Now the first thing my diving instructor said to the class was “this isn’t your world, you are just visiting so you need to play nice”.
Sage advice.
So ever since then I’ve looked at the ocean and marine life in a whole different way.
When Sydney Aquarium invited me and my family to view their Seahorse exhibit I jumped at the chance.
Did you know that seahorse often make their home on the nets that are erected at some of Sydney’s beaches? Kinda cool that all you need is a snorkel and mask and you can discover some seahorses right in Sydney Harbour.
My kids have visited the aquarium before but they never grow tired of it. So I asked my eldest to write the rest of this post for me.
At the aquarium I learnt that seahorses live in sea grass and on beach nets along the algae. Also that the dad is the one who gives birth to the children not the mum. The male seahorse sneezes the babies out of his belly and gives birth to about 1800 babies at once because they are really small and not many of them survive.
One species of seahorse is about the size of half an adult’s pinkie fingernail. Seahorse’s eyes move independently to each other. Sea horses scientific name is hippocampus, which means sea monster as it was thought they were the babies of a scary beast that pulled the god of the sea, Poseidon’s chariot across the ocean.
Seahorses have the ability to change colour to blend in with their environment. There are over 200 species of seahorse and more than likely, more to be discovered. Seahorse habitats are being lost by pollution, cleaning of beach nets etc. Councils now have a more sufficient way of cleaning and getting rid of algae to protect the seahorses and their habitat.
By Jordan Tedeschi Age 12
For more information on Sydney Aquarium and please visit the website. As well as the seahorse exhibition, I thoroughly recommend you check out the dugongs. If I could roll around and hug them I would.
As I mentioned above my family and I were invited to the exhibition but I was not paid for this post and all views are my own and my daughter’s.
