Leafy seadragon
Phycodurus eques
- Scientific name
- Phycodurus eques
- Group
- Reef fish
- Rarity
- Legendary
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Near threatened
Did you know?
The leafy seadragon camouflages itself with long, leaf-like appendages that mimic drifting seaweed, letting it drift almost motionless among the kelp. It's the male, not the female, who carries the eggs, attached under his tail until they hatch.
What defines this group — Reef fish
The bony fish that live against coral and rock: the living backdrop of almost every dive.
- A bony skeleton, scales, and a rigid gill cover closing over the gills.
- A swim bladder acts as a float: they hold their depth without swimming.
- Many change colour, pattern — sometimes even sex — over the course of their life.
Other species in this group
- Ocellaris clownfish
- Blue tang
- Red lionfish
- Spot-fin porcupinefish
- Mediterranean moray
- Clark's anemonefish