Seahorses are a very unique aquarium fish but they are also used for many other things like silly souvenirs, jewelry, and traditional Chinese medicine.
Seahorses are overfished in the wild so much that many of their species have become endangered in the wild.
To find a seahorse in the wild, you wouldn’t have to go very far from shore.
Seahorses can be found in tropical temperate climates of 74-76°F between approximate attitudes of 52° N to 45° S. They live close to shore because they prefer shallow waters and live by coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, and estuaries so they can hitch to grass, branches or corals with their tail and use their camouflage to blend in with the background to hunt.
| Seahorse Species: | Where They Live: |
| Zebra Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of Northern Australia |
| Dwarf Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of the Bahamas and parts of the United States. |
| Short-Snouted SeahorseLives in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the North Atlantic, particularly around Italy and the Canary IslandsLong-Snouted Seahorse Lives in the coastal waters of the northeast Atlantic, including the MediterraneanLined Seahorse Lives in the coastal waters of the Western”Atlantic OceanBig-Belly seahorse Lives in coastal waters of AustraliaYellow/Common SeahorseLives in the coastal waters of the Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, Pacific islands including Hawaii, the eastern coast of Africa from Tanzania to South Africa, including the Indo-Pacific region ranging from the northwest Indian Ocean to the central areas of the Pacific OceanBargibant’s SeahorseLives in coastal waters of the Central Indo-Pacific areaPacific SeahorseLives in coastal waters of the Eastern Pacific OceanSpiny SeahorseLives in coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific areaLongsnout/Slender SeahorseLives in coastal waters of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, United States (Florida and North Carolina), and Venezuela. | |
| Denise’s Pygmy Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of the western Pacific |
| Tiger Tail Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. |
| White’s Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of the Southwest Pacific, from Sydney, New South Wales, and southern Queensland to the Solomon Islands. |
| Flat-Faced Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of Australia, Cocos Islands, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam |
| Great Seahorse | Lives in coastal waters of the East African coast to Japan, Northern, and Southern Australia |
| Japanese Seahorse | Lives in coastal waters of Japan and as far south as the Palk Bay coast of southeastern India, Kampot, Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam |
| Barbour’s Seahorse | Lives on the coasts of the”Philippines,”Malaysia, and”Indonesia |
| Knysna Seahorse | Lives on the southern coast of South Africa |
| Hedgehog Seahorse | Lives in coastal waters of India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and northern Australia |
| Crowned Seahorse | Live in the Pacific coastal waters of Japan |
| Knobby Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of southwestern and southeastern Australia, from Gregory to Bremer Bay, and from Denial Bay to Newcastle |
| Tiger-Snout Seahorse | Lives in coastal waters of South-Western Australia |
| Satomi’s Pygmy Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of the Derawan Islands off Kalimantan |
| Réunion Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, South Africa, and Tanzania |
| West African Seahorse | Lives in coastal waters of the eastern central Atlantic Ocean off Angola, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and the Canary Islands. |
| Giraffe Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters off of the south and east coasts of Africa, from South Africa to Tanzania, and possibly north to Kenya |
| South African Pygmy Seahorse | Coastal waters of South Africa |
| Narrow-Bellied Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters off of Australia, from Perth to Hervey Bay, and the southern portion of Papua New Guinea in the Torres Strait |
| Bullneck Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of Eden, Australia |
| Jayakar’s Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of Western Indian Ocean, from the Red and Arabian seas to the central coast of Pakistan |
| Shiho’s Seahorse | Lives in the Pacific coastal waters of Japan |
| Fisher’s Seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of Australia and New Caledonia |
| Big-Head seahorse | Lives in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria |
Where Can You Find a Seahorse?
As stated above:
Seahorses can be found in tropical temperate climates of 74-76°F between approximate attitudes of 52° N to 45° S. They live close to shore because they prefer shallow waters and live by coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, and estuaries so they can hitch to grass, branches or corals with their tail and use their camouflage to blend in with the background to hunt.
However, if you look for them in any of these places, it should only be for observance, maybe while scuba diving or something like that because most seahorse species are endangered or headed that way from overfishing.
Seahorses are greatly desired for traditional Chinese medicine, the aquarium trade, or just for souvenirs or jewelry.
Seahorses can also be found at pet stores or reputable dealers online. Just make sure that the seahorse you buy is captive-bred and not caught in the wild so you don’t contribute to the decline in the seahorse population.
If you are looking for dried seahorses, you should also make sure these are captive-bred seahorses as programs have been set up to distribute captive-bred seahorses for the dried seahorse trade. Dried seahorses are used for traditional Chinese medicine, jewelry, and souvenirs.
Where Do Seahorses Live in America?
Wild seahorses are found in the pacific ocean and the Atlantic ocean.
There are five known species of seahorses in the pacific ocean and four known species of seahorses in the Atlantic ocean. They can be found in the normal seahorse habitat of seagrass, corals, and mangroves in shallow coastal areas.
According to www.fws.gov, of the 50 known seahorse species, at least six are native to the United States.
Are There Seahorses in Florida?
The pygmy seahorse, lined seahorse, and long-snout seahorses are the 3 known seahorses found along the coast of Florida.
Pygmy seahorses grow to an average size of 0.55 inches to 1.06 inches or 1.4 – 2.7 cm. Pygmy seahorses like to live amongst gorgonian corals They are usually purple with pink mixed in or yellow with orange mixed in depending on the color of the coral since all seahorses can change their color to camouflage themselves with their background to prey on food.
Lined Seahorses are known for dark lines on their head, neck, and back. They grow 5-6 inches in length which is a good size for seahorses.
Long-Snout seahorses are known for their long snouts, which all seahorses use to create a pipette vacuum-like suction to suck in prey like tiny shrimp and swallow them whole.
Lined seahorses can grow to a maximum length of”21.5″cm or 8.5 inches. Their average size is 12 cm or 5 inches.
Are There Seahorses in New York?
The lined seahorse is also found in New York in the estuary of New York bay and the Hudson River. An estuary is where a body of water drains into the ocean.
Since seahorses can survive a wide salinity of waters, seahorses have been spotted in the brackish waters of the Hudson River. Brackish waters are just waters with less salt content than the ocean. This is why if you go too far up the Hudson away from the ocean, you won’t find any seahorses since they are saltwater creatures.
Do Seahorses Live in Fresh or Saltwater?
Seahorses are saltwater fish that live in coastal waters of temperate climates. They live in saltwater with a temperature of 74-76°F.
Seahorses can survive a wide range of salinity which is the amount of salt in their water so you might find them in estuaries, which is the point where a body of water drains into the ocean.
This is why seahorses have been found upriver a little ways from the ocean, but there has to be some salt content in the water for them to survive.
There are one species of a freshwater pipefish that is a cousin of the seahorse and is sometimes mistaken for a seahorse but it is not a seahorse.
Seahorses Live In Aquariums
Obviously, seahorses live in aquariums also. If you are buying a seahorse for your aquarium, please make sure it is a captive-bred seahorse since seahorses are endangered.
Seahorses need a heater to keep their water temperature between 74-76°F.
You will have to mix saltwater or buy premixed saltwater.
Water Parameters:
- Salinity / Specific Gravity: 33 – 35 ppm or 1.020-1.025 SG
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- alkalinity: 8-12 Dkh
- Ammonia (nh3): Undetectable 0 ppm
- Nitrite (no2): Undetectable 0 ppm
- Nitrate (no3): Low <20 PPM
- Phosphate (PO4): Low <0.2 PPM
- Calcium (Ca): 350-450 PPM
- Alkalinity (dKH): 8.0-8.3 dKH
- Magnesium (Mg): 1250-1350 PPM
You will need a filtration system that filters biological, mechanical, and chemical. These usually have a built-in water pump.
Some filters have an adjustable water flow and the idea that seahorses need slow-moving water is outdated, so make sure the water flow is at least medium or approximately 10-25 aquarium volume turnover per hour.
Thin sand is the best substrate since seahorses can poop a lot from eating so many times during the day.
You will need to do regular water changes to keep your water clean.
Check for dead spots where water isn’t moving because of slow flow. You might have to put a bubbler or aerator in a dead spot to keep enough oxygen in the tank.
Conclusion
I hope we have explained where seahorses live and why. If you enjoyed our seahorse article then please come back for more!
