Weedy Seadragon

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus

Where do they live?
Weedy Seadragons live along the coast of Australia. You can find them on the NSW central coast, all around the south coast of Australia and up to the southern parts of the Western Australian coast.

What is their habitat?
You’ll find Weedy Seadragons on rocky reefs that are covered in kelp, as long as the reefs aren’t deeper than 50 metres. You can often see them when scuba diving or snorkeling.

What’s special about them?
Weedy Seadragons get their name from the interesting weed-like appendages on their bodies. They also have a long pipe-like snout with a small mouth at the end. They can be green or brown, with red and orange colours, depending on what surroundings they’re trying to blend in with. These fish aren’t very good swimmers, which explains why they often get stranded on the beach. They’re great at camouflage. Weedy Seadragons look like seahorses because they’re related. What separates them is that seahorses are generally smaller, have a prehensile tail, hold their heads differently, and have a pouch to keep their young in.

What do they eat?
Weedy Seadragons eat small crustaceans such as shrimp.

How do they reproduce?
Weedy Seadragons usually breed only once a year in early summer. Interestingly, it’s the male seadragons that look after the eggs by carrying them on the underside of their tails until they eventually hatch. Up to 250 young hatch from a single brood. Generally, it takes young Weedy Seadragons two years to grow up and become mature enough to breed.

Where do they fit in the tree of life?
Species: taeniolatus
Genus: Phyllopteryx
Family: Syngnathidae
Order: Gasterosteiformes
Class: Actinopterygii
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Phylum: Chordata
Kingdom: Animalia

What is their Conservation Status?
Weedy Seadragons have an IUCN listing of Red List DD (Data Deficient).
In Australia, Weedy Seadragons are protected in New South Wales and Tasmanian waters.