Female seahorses impregnate the males

Seahorse reproduction is one of the strangest and most fascinating systems in the animal kingdom. Consequently we feel we must bring you the details to boost your trivia and general knowledge.  Lets file this one under things you didn’t realise you wanted to know

🧬 Who gets pregnant?

• The male seahorse is the one who gets pregnant, not the female.
  
• He has a brood pouch on his belly, which is similar in function to a placenta.
  

💃 The courtship

• The courtship process forSeahorses can last days and includes:
  
  • Colour changes
    
  • Tail holding
    
  • Synchronized swimming “dances”
    
• Many species of Seahorse form monogamous pairs, at least for a breeding season.
  

🥚 Egg transfer

• The female deposits dozens to thousands of eggs into the male’s brood pouch on his belly.
  
• The male then fertilises the eggs internally.
  

🤰 Male pregnancy

• Inside the pouch, the male:
  
  • Regulates the oxygen supply
    
  • Controls salinity
    
  • Provides nutrients
    
• Pregnancy lasts 2–4 weeks, depending on species and temperature.
  

👶 Birth

• The male gives birth through muscular contractions, sometimes lasting many hours.
  
• Anywhere between 10–2,000+ fully formed baby seahorses (fry) are released.
  

🐣 After birth

• There is no parental care for the fry released afterwards.
  
• Many babies don’t survive, with only a very small percentage going on to reach adulthood.
  

🔁 Rapid repeat

• In some species, the female can be seen to deposit a new clutch of eggs the same day the male gives birth.
  

🌍 Why it matters

• This system allows:
  
  • Faster reproduction cycles
    
  • Higher survival during development
    
• It’s a rare example of sex-role reversal in animals.