Weedy seadragon — printable fact sheet
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Weedy seadragon
Phyllopteryx taeniolatus
The weedy or common seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) drifts over kelp and seagrass along the southern Australian coast, and the leaf-like appendages that give it its name do no work at all in swimming. They are pure camouflage. Propulsion comes from a nearly transparent dors…
Did you know?
- Weedy seadragons lack a stomach and must eat almost constantly to survive.
- The leafy flaps are camouflage and contribute nothing to swimming; the fish is driven by two nearly invisible fins beating about thirty times a second. Unlike a seahorse, it has no grasping tail and cannot hold onto anything. The male carries about 120 eggs embedded directly in the skin of his tail, since seadragons have no brood pouch. Individual spot patterns are unique, and divers have followed named individuals on the same reef for years.
What I learned
Draw the weedy seadragon
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