The Knysna seahorse is a medium-sized seahorse (8-12cm) with a characteristic short snout and the males have a slight keel above their brood pouch. They are typically mottled brown, but can range in colour from white, yellow, orange, green and beige to brown and black.
Knysna seahorses have the smallest geographical range of any seahorse and can be found in 3 estuaries, Knysna, Swartvlei and Keurbooms. Before 2002 they could also be found in the Klein Brak estuary. They occur in water depths of 0.5-20 m and usually among aquatic plants.
Seahorses have lived in the oceans for about 40 million years. They have a head shaped like that of a horse, a tail like a monkey’s and male seahorses have a ‘pouch’ like female kangaroos! The male seahorse gives birth to offspring – the female lays her eggs in the male’s pouch and when they are ready, the babies hatch out of the pouch into the water!
Seahorses breathe through gills, use their fins to move through the water and hatch from eggs. Seahorses swim upright, propelled by their dorsal fin, while their small pectoral fins help to steer them as they glide along.
Seahorses feed on small fish and shellfish, which they suck into their mouths. The eyes of a seahorse are like those of a chameleon – they move independently, one looking for food and the other watching out for predators. Seahorses are also able to change colour so that they blend into their environment.
The development of nearby towns is threatening the survival of the Knysna seahorses. Houses and shopping centres are being built right on the water’s edge and polluted water flows directly into the estuaries where these seahorses live. Boats and people in the estuaries are also disturbing the unique habitat of these animals.
Every year about 20 million seahorses are caught around the world, for medicine or to be sold as curios. Some people believe that eating dead seahorses will cure asthma, skin problems and even baldness. Another one million seahorses are caught annually for display in home and public aquariums.
Knysna seahorses were the first seahorse species to be classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered. All over the world sea horse populations are threatened by the degradation of estuaries, sea grass beds and mangroves.
They are also accidentally captured in fishing gear, and over exploited for use in traditional medicines and the aquarium trade. The Knysna seahorse is also vulnerable to large temperature fluctuations which are common in this area.
An exciting new seahorse research project, the Knysna Seahorse Status Project (KySS), was officially launched on Thesen Islands Marina in early February 2014 in order to monitor the health of the Knysna Seahorse population and ensure its survival for future generations.
Cache: There is a parking lot within 10m of GZ which can be accessed by taking the stairs adjacent to NSRI Station 12. The cache is a micro container containing only a log sheet. Bring your own writing tool. Kindly replace as found.