Parental care In seahorses, the male carries the fertilized eggs in a special **brood pouch**, provides protection and nourishment, and later gives birth to fully developed young ones — a rare and remarkable form of **male parental care**.

In seahorses, parental care is a unique phenomenon where the **male** takes primary responsibility for nurturing the offspring. During reproduction, the female deposits her eggs into a specialized **brood pouch** located on the male’s abdomen. Inside this pouch, the male fertilizes the eggs and provides them with oxygen, nutrients, and protection, similar to how mammals nourish embryos. The developing embryos remain in the pouch until they are fully formed miniature seahorses. After a gestation period of about two to four weeks, the male undergoes muscular contractions to **give birth** to the young, releasing them into the water. This remarkable form of male pregnancy represents one of the most advanced examples of **parental care in the animal kingdom**.

1. Parental care in s eahorse Prepared by: BP Sumith Submitted to: D r Renuka Jyothi

2. Content Introduction Seahorse classification History Appearance. Habita . Diate . Movement. Camouflage &Types. Life cycle & predators. Reproduction

3. Introduction _ seahorses are tiny fish. they are named after the shape of their head that sort of looks like a head of tiny horse there are at least 25 species of seahorse and the spiny sea dragon .you will find them in the worlds tropical and temperate coastal waters

4. Classification _ Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Actinopterygii Order : Syngnathiformes Family : Syngnathidae Genus : Hippocampus " Hippocampus" comes from the  Ancient Greek   hippos  meaning "horse" and  kampos  meaning "sea monster

5. History _ oldest fossil seahorse hippocampus slovenicus the fossil include babies and adults of several species, and are dated at 13 million years old making them the oldest seahorse fossils found so far.

6. Appearance _ seahorse appear to be very different from other fishes in the sea They are tiny , have a horse -like head , monkey -like tail and kangaroo -like pouch , their eyes are like a chameleon. They have thin skin stretched over a series of bony plates that are visible as rings around the trunk.

7. Appearance _

8. Appearance some species also have spiny plates cover seahorses bodies from the tip of their head down to their curly tails a group of spines on the top of the head is called coronet because it look like a crown

9. Appearance when seahorses are babies , they are only about 5 centimeters long but they can grow up to 36 cm long

10. Habitat Seahorses are found in tropical and subtropical costal and reef waters all over the pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. Seahorses are also found in mangrove roots , sea grass beds, mud slopes , open waters, eel grass , kelp and rocks. The large belly seahorse is the only seahorse found in new Zealand.

11. Habitat

12. Eating seahorses eat tiny organisms such as small shrimp , as well as very small fish and plankton. sometimes they eat small fish larvae or anything small enough for them to swallow . seahorses eat sucking through their tube-like snout.

13. Eating

14. Movement They move independently of each other and in all directions When there are storms, seahorses clim to pieces of seaweed with their tails . The storms toss them off and washes them ashore, so they cannot get back to the sea until the tide comes in.

15. Movement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQsRVsDb4YI

16. Camouflage & Types Seahorses can come in all different colors , they are master of camouflage . They can change color to blend in with their habitat. Some are bright color to blend in with coral but some are brownish color to blend in with rocks.

17. Camouflage & Types many species have blotchy skin patterns which help obscure their outline they can change color in a matter of minutes to match their surrounding.

18. Types

19. Types

20. Types

21. Seahorse reproduction male seahorse are responsible about pregnancy and giving birth. pregnancy lasts between two and four weeks, the length decreasing with increasing Temperature.

22. COURTSHIP the reproductive process begins when male and female seahorse do daily pre_ dawn dances. The courting ritual involves dancing, changing color and entwining tails.  Sometimes, more than one male seahorse will compete to win the affections of a female. Males can inflate their pouch by pumping water through it to display its emptiness. the purpose of courtship behavior is to entice the female to deposit her eggs in it.

23. COURTSHIP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvGRVWGpdNg&feature=related

24. Egg transfer after eight hours of courtship, female seahorse depositing her eggs in male’s pouch that located on its stomach . The male releases his sperm directly into seawater to fertilize the eggs. the eggs will be  embedded in the pouch wall and become surrounded by a spongy tissue. the pouch acts as uterus of female mammal completed with a placental fluid that provide nutrients and oxygen.

25. pregnancy the male seahorse provide oxygen and nutrients through a network of capillaries. the eggs hatch in the pouch, and the embryos will remain in the pouch for two to six weeks, depending on species and temperature, as they develop into fully formed juveniles.

26. pregnancy

27. Giving Birth the male undergoes muscular contraction ( pumping) expel the young , known as “fry” from the pouch.

28. Young   Newborns measure between two and twelve millimeters, depending on species. The fry often grasp floating or still objects, and even each other, with their tails. fewer than five infant seahorse in every 1000 survive to adulthood.

29. young

30. JUVENILES   the young undergo only small changes after emerging from the father. During growth some body proportions may change but they don’t experience major body changes. Some newborns emerge with a small fin which is lost over time.

31. Adults Mature male seahorses have the ability to become pregnant any time during the breeding season, which varies with species. This is thought to be influenced by environmental conditions such as water temperature.

32. Seahorse stages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwlZAFoidpw

33. Genetic Basis of Parental Care in Male Seahorse MHC – Major Histocompatibility Complex → Helps the father’s immune system recognize and accept the embryos instead of attacking them. IL-10 – Interleukin-10 → Acts as an anti-inflammatory molecule that calms the immune system to protect the developing embryos. GLUT – Glucose Transporter Gene (e.g., SLC2A Family) → Transfers glucose (sugar) to embryos to provide them with energy for growth. Amino Acid Transporters – Solute Carrier Family Genes (SLC Family) → Supply amino acids (protein building blocks) from the father to the embryos.

34. VEGF – Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor → Promotes the formation of new blood vessels inside the brood pouch to deliver oxygen and nutrients. PRLR – Prolactin Receptor → Responds to the hormone prolactin, maintaining pouch fluid, nutrient exchange, and embryo protection. AR – Androgen Receptor → Responds to male hormones like testosterone to regulate pouch growth and maintenance. Cyp19a1 – Cytochrome P450 Family 19 Subfamily A Member 1 (Aromatase) → Converts testosterone into estrogen, balancing hormones for successful male pregnancy.

35. Cutting the ties after giving birth , the parents do not provide to their tiny offspring with any care or production. Infant seahorse are susceptible to death from predators and being . Fewer than five infant seahorse in every 1000 survive to adult hood.

36. Predators there are lots of animals in the wild that the seahorse has to be careful of sharks and squid are the main predators of seahorses. Tuna, rays and crabs are also predators of the seahorses. people hunt seahorses for medicine , cooking and souvenirs. These unique little animals are endangered

37. References http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/06/0614_seahorse_recov.html

38. Thanks