How the seahorse got its shape -- by Nature Video

[CFOh]

S-shaped seahorses give them greater reach

Posted on January 28th, 2011 by Jake Adams (reefbuilders)

We’ve never really given much thought as to why seahorses swim upright or why they have S-shaped bodies but that hasn’t stopped curious researchers from teasing out some possible answers. Unlike the streamlined and tubular pipefish, the venerable seahorse is has a curved body shape which allows it to get a greater reach to capture it’s prey.

The effect of body curvature on prey capture was recently investigated by a team of researchers studying the ecomorphology of seahorses. By modeling the body shape of seahorses and pipefish and it’s effect on prey capture, scientists from Arizona State university were able to understand that the curved neck and bent head of the seahorse gave it a longer reach and essentially allows the seahorse to sneak up on and eat more of the small shrimp that make up the bulk of it’s diet. The new study on the S shape of seahorses was recently published in the journal Nature Communications, and their website includes a short video explaining the findings in more detail.

[cdckjn]

Cool video. We can ask God as He is the great creator as to why He created the seahorse the way it is.

[CFOh]

Another old article from Reefbuilders by Jake Adams & nationalgeographic.com by Charles Choi about SeaHorse

13 million year old seahorse fossil found in Slovenia

The photo above shows a 2.5″ fossil of Hippocampus sarmaticus which was discovered in a streambank in Slovenia. The 13 million year old fossil is one of the oldest ever found and it was closely accompanied by a handful of tiny, inch long baby seahorses. The finds shed some light on the evolution of seahorses and their gregarious nature which is still evident in modern seahorses. The grouping of small seahorses were probably living in a seagrass bed at the time when they were all so neatly fossilized. Follow the link to see additional photos of the fossilized syngnathids.

[Joeteng]

cool video! great contribution!