Cold Water
Weedy Seadragon
Phyllopteryx taeniolatus · Bony fish — family Syngnathidae; also called the common seadragon, an Australian endemic
A weedy seadragon trades the leafy's full costume for jewelry: a slimmer, kelp-red body scattered with yellow spots and violet-blue bars, trailing a few weed-like appendages as it drifts along sponge gardens and kelp lines across Australia's temperate south. It is the more widespread and more often met seadragon, turning up on shore dives and jetty pilings as well as offshore reefs, always slightly farther away than it looks and always mid-meal, vacuuming mysids by the thousand. Males carry the brood — around 250 eggs pressed onto the underside of the tail each breeding season — and site-faithful adults let researchers identify individuals from spot patterns year after year. Give the animal right of way and resist guiding it with a hand or fin wash; a displaced dragon burns energy it budgets tightly.
Onde e quando ver um
"Residente" significa que a maioria dos mergulhos naquele destino os encontra; "sazonal" significa presença confiável nos meses listados; qualquer outra coisa é um bônus, não um plano.
| Destino | Fiabilidade | Meses | Notas |
|---|---|---|---|
| South AustraliaAustralia | Resident — seen on most dives | Todo o ano |
Melhor mês, em resumo
| Mês | Destinos fiáveis |
|---|---|
| January | South Australia |
| February | South Australia |
| March | South Australia |
| April | South Australia |
| May | South Australia |
| June | South Australia |
| July | South Australia |
| August | South Australia |
| September | South Australia |
| October | South Australia |
| November | South Australia |
| December | South Australia |
Entendendo-os
Habitat: Kelp lines, sponge gardens, seagrass margins, and jetty piles over sand across Australia's temperate south.
Distribuição: Southern Australia from New South Wales around to southern Western Australia, including Tasmania.
Comportamento: Drifts singly or in loose pairs along habitat edges; males brood around 250 eggs pressed onto the underside of the tail each breeding season, and individuals can be photo-identified by their spot patterns.
Dieta: Mysid shrimp and other small crustaceans vacuumed continuously through the tubular snout.
Tamanho: normalmente cerca de 0.3 m; documentado até 0.46 m (total length).
Como se comportar perto de um
Protected in Australian waters — no touching or shepherding with hands or fins, and photo-identification projects welcome clear, unharassed side-on images.
Conservação
Least Concern under its current assessment and protected in Australian waters; kelp decline along the southeast is the pressure researchers watch most closely.
Assista
Dos canais oficiais
Best Places to Dive with Whale Sharks
Outrageously Tiny Fish
Sink or Swim? with Monét X Change | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Os vídeos são links incorporados dos próprios canais dos criadores — não hospedamos nada e creditamos tudo.