Animals Becoming More Endangered as They Become More Mysterious ⋯ The Story of the Endangered Seahorse

Named 'sea horse' because of its resemblance to a horse, this marine creature is known for the males becoming pregnant and giving birth. However, the males don't actually give birth themselves. Instead, the female lays her eggs in a brood pouch located on the male's abdomen, and the male seahorse incubates and hatches the eggs. Although the male doesn't lay the eggs, the process of the eggs hatching in the male's pouch can look like childbirth. Full of mystery, from its appearance to its reproductive method, did you know that the seahorse is an endangered species?

There are a total of 46 seahorse species worldwide, with about 30 of them designated as endangered. The white seahorse, a representative endangered seahorse species, is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, while the tigertail seahorse is listed as Vulnerable (VU). Studies have shown that over 37 million seahorses disappear annually. Why have so many seahorse species become endangered?

Seahorses primarily inhabit tropical and temperate seas. They often live near coral reefs. However, with climate change and marine pollution causing widespread coral reef damage, seahorses have also been impacted. In addition, damage to seaweed due to marine pollution has negatively affected seahorses. Since seaweed is a major food source for seahorses, their destruction due to marine pollution puts seahorses at risk.

Furthermore, due to their unique appearance, seahorses are often kept as ornamental pets. However, seahorses are sensitive to stress, making them quite difficult for ordinary people to keep at home. Of course, seahorses born in a home aquarium environment adapt quickly and thrive, but wild-caught seahorses have a higher risk of death when kept in home aquariums.

In traditional East Asian medicine, seahorses are known to be beneficial for various ailments. In China, they are reportedly used as medicine. Besides China, other Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines also utilize seahorses for medicinal purposes. This has led to the indiscriminate harvesting of seahorses, resulting in a decline in their population and ultimately causing them to become endangered.

Fortunately, seahorses are now listed as an internationally restricted trade item, leading to an anticipated decrease in overfishing compared to the past.

Besides this, various efforts are underway to protect endangered seahorses. This includes designating seahorse habitats as protected areas and attempting artificial fertilization. However, newborn seahorses are extremely sensitive to their environment and exhibit a very low survival rate. They are easily swept away by ocean currents or fall prey to predators, resulting in only about 0.5% of newborn seahorses reaching adulthood. Due to this low survival rate, artificial fertilization efforts are even more crucial.

Save Our Seahorses conducts various conservation efforts, including fundraising for seahorses, protecting their habitats, and regulating the practice of catching male seahorses carrying eggs. They also play a role in raising awareness about the endangered status of seahorses. They produced a documentary titled “Seahorse Man” in 2015, which is currently available on Netflix. If you're interested, you might want to check it out.

The seahorse, a creature as mysterious as it is fascinating, has faced endangerment due to significant human interest. Now is the time for us to step up and protect its mystique.