| Ringing in good tidings for the new year,
| |
| | even move their two eyes independently of
|
| a newly immigrated resident to Krabi was
| |
| | each other. Ranging in size from the tiny
|
| spotted by one of our instructors on New
| |
| | 10mm to 35cm, the largest is the Pacific
|
| Year's Day. At 4-cm long, he appears
| |
| | Seahorse. Seahorses eat small crustaceans
|
| pregnant. Yes, "he" was pregnant as the
| |
| | which they catch by staying still and
|
| male in this species are the ones to get
| |
| | lying in wait till their prey comes near,
|
| pregnant and productive!
| |
| | and they snap them up. Then their
|
| Krabi, south of Thailand, is the gateway
| |
| | tube-like mouth creates a vacuum that
|
| to the famous Andaman Sea where scuba
| |
| | sucks the prey in and they swallow their
|
| divers and snorkellors from all over the
| |
| | food whole.
|
| world convene as winter approaches in the
| |
| | Sea horses are unusual in a couple of
|
| western world. Famous for its incredible
| |
| | ways. One is that they are monogamous and
|
| waters, great visibility and huge variety
| |
| | have long courtship periods when mating.
|
| of dive terrain, Krabi is a must-stop for
| |
| | Monogamy is unusual in all animals but
|
| all nature and water lovers on vacation
| |
| | particularly among fish. The longer a
|
| in Asia. operates the premier
| |
| | couple of seahorses stick together, the
|
| scuba-diving and eco-tourism center in
| |
| | better they are at producing babies. It
|
| the heart of Aonang, the sea-side town of
| |
| | is the males of seahorses that carry
|
| Krabi. Here, you can launch off to the
| |
| | their eggs in a pouch on his belly, after
|
| amazing Similans, Richelieu Rock, Phi Phi
| |
| | the eggs have been deposited there by the
|
| islands, Phuket and Lanta. And lets not
| |
| | female. The eggs are fertilised in the
|
| forget the relatively unexplored local
| |
| | pouch and incubated between 10 days to 4
|
| Krabi waters where the caves and caverns
| |
| | weeks before they hatch. At hatching, the
|
| provide a great underwater adventure. And
| |
| | male gives birth to fully developed but
|
| here is where we found our Tiger-Tailed
| |
| | tiny little seahorses. The natural
|
| Seahorse on New Year's Day!
| |
| | lifespan of seahorses is not known, but
|
| Seahorses are amazing creatures. The
| |
| | believed to be from one year for small
|
| seahorse is one of four families in the
| |
| | species to five years for the larger
|
| syngnathiform family which also includes
| |
| | species. Highly elusive and difficult to
|
| pipefish, flag-tail pipefish and
| |
| | spot in moving water, finding a seahorse
|
| seadragons. They swim in an upright
| |
| | is every diver's dream come true.
|
| position with their tails down and their
| |
| | So, you can imagine our absolute euphoria
|
| heads up using their dorsal to move
| |
| | when we spotted the little yellow
|
| forward and pectoral fins for steering
| |
| | Tiger-Tail. Being creatures of habit,
|
| control. Also unique for their prehensile
| |
| | once settled into a location, they tend
|
| tail (able to twist & grasp),tube-like
| |
| | not to move too much. Hence, we can find
|
| mouth (with no teeth), and small gill
| |
| | it again and would love to show it to
|
| openings. Seahorses (like chameleons) can
| |
| | you.
|
