It is one of the largest seahorse species in the world, with a length of up to 35 cm; it lives in the temperate waters of Australia and New Zealand, preferably in the depths that do not exceed the 50 meters of depth, where there are rather high seagrass or macro-algae meadows, to which it attaches while awaiting the arrival of the preys. It feeds essentially on small planktonic crustaceans, mysids or krill, which it captures with its long snout rather quickly and with great aim.
The name comes from the size of the abdomen, very pronounced both in the females and in the males, in which, during the courtship, it is inflated like a balloon to attract the female to lay the eggs. As with all seahorse species, also for the pot-bellied seahorse it is the male who has the task of incubating the fertilized eggs until the fry are fully developed, which will be expelled outside after a month following long and repeated contractions. until the pouch is completely empty.
This CITES Appendix II listed species is highly sought after in Chinese medicine as dried specimens can serve as a tonic or aphrodisiac. The new arrivals of the pot-bellied seahorses can be seen in a new tank located in the Galleria del Mediterraneo.
They love to blend in and hide, so you need to sharpen your eyes to see them swim and bond with the algae in the tank.
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