Details
Phyllopteryx taeniolatus
The weedy seadragon is an Australian coastal fish fringed with seaweed-like appendages. It drifts slowly through algae and seagrass while sucking in tiny prey.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives on temperate southern coasts of Australasia, the Pacific, using rocky reefs, kelp beds, and seagrass. Sheltered shallow shores are important habitat.
Length 30-46 cm; weight 60 g-120 g. A slender body carries leaflike projections and mottled red, yellow, and brown colors that blend with algae. The tubular mouth works like a pipette for small prey.
Diurnal and mostly solitary, it is a weak swimmer. It holds the body upright and moves quietly with small pectoral and dorsal fins.
A carnivore, it eats tiny crustaceans and zooplankton. Rather than chasing prey, it snaps up animals that drift within reach.
The male carries eggs attached to the underside of his tail until they hatch. Young are independent at hatching and feed on small plankton.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
