How mobile are pygmy seahorses?

[kilo_fox]

Hippocampus bargibanti, to be precise..

In one of our dive sites, Pii, our senior DM, had discovered five of them living in a certain Gorgonian fan, almost one year ago. I dived there three weeks ago, they were there. Today, we dived that dive site with some divers, and we found the pygmy seahorses to be gone :depressed:

- do they move from time to time to another Gorgonian fan (or somewhere else)?

- if so, what makes them move?

- what else could have happened?

- any other hints?

I'm also looking for a link for good, complete information about H. bargibanti (I tried Google, but was not very successful)

Thanx a bunch in advance!

 

[diver 85]

some-ting(little) might have gotten hungry--& 8 'em??......

 

[Deefstes]

Sorry, can't answer your question but you can get more info on the fish here and here. Probably still not what you were looking for but I thought I'd point it out as it might have something you'd find interesting.

 

[vladimir]

Maybe they got lost because they were blinded by a 100 strobe flashes every waking hour of every day from divers eager to replicate a photo that's been taken by a thousand other divers. Just a theory.

(Yes, my copy of the photo is in my gallery.)

 

[kilo_fox]

some-ting(little) might have gotten hungry--& 8 'em??......

:shocked2: omigod..... but all five for one meal? I know they are tiny, but still...
And that brings up the question which creature is actually feeding on Pygmy seahorses? I mean, except the Chinese...

Sorry, can't answer your question but you can get more info on the fish here and here. Probably still not what you were looking for but I thought I'd point it out as it might have something you'd find interesting.

Yup, doesn't really provide the answer I am looking for, but thanx!

Maybe they got lost because they were blinded by a 100 strobe flashes every waking hour of every day from divers eager to replicate a photo that's been taken by a thousand other divers. Just a theory.

(Yes, my copy of the photo is in my gallery.)

Kind of funny, your reply.. I do get your point, but we dive that dive site not more than four or five times per month (on average), and not all our guests come with u/water camera. And there is no other dive shop in this area, so I'd say can't really be ..

 

[vladimir]

Kind of funny, your reply.

Thanks. That's what usually happens when I try to be funny--I end up being kind of funny.

Since you asked, I am curious about your original question too, and I hope somebody knowledgeable can give us some insight.

 

[kilo_fox]

Thanks. That's what usually happens when I try to be funny--I end up being kind of funny.

Since you asked, I am curious about your original question too, and I hope somebody knowledgeable can give us some insight.

First it made me laugh but then I thought, ****, he is right! There is places like that.. (And I wonder what the effect of it is on the pygmies... )
That's why I wrote kind of funny..

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Don't really know about your species but there is a fellow who studies seahorses here David Herastis (sp?). He's been tracking them for years and is baffled by why they disappear then reappear .... hasn't figured out where the go and why but he is working on studies and marking them in several areas.

I know there have been a couple colonies of them we have watched for a while. Unfortunately I believe some were illegally "collected".

I have seen colonies of Pygmy Pipehorse where too many people trying to get pics .. distroyed the habitat and they were forced to move... I only found one of five after that and I suspect the high seas we have had will have moved that one.

Be interesting to know what has happened with the currents, seas and so on in that area... anything unusual?

Fascinating topic..thanks..

 

[diver 85]

Don't really know about your species but there is a fellow who studies seahorses here David Herastis (sp?). He's been tracking them for years and is baffled by why they disappear then reappear .... hasn't figured out where the go and why but he is working on studies and marking them in several areas.

I know there have been a couple colonies of them we have watched for a while. Unfortunately I believe some were illegally "collected".

I have seen colonies of Pygmy Pipehorse where too many people trying to get pics .. distroyed the habitat and they were forced to move... I only found one of five after that and I suspect the high seas we have had will have moved that one.

Be interesting to know what has happened with the currents, seas and so on in that area... anything unusual?

Fascinating topic..thanks..

Guess not alot of info out there on seahorses(I have NO idea & have never done any research on what's 'available')----but---years ago an 'oldtimer' on Roatan who I thought knew his stuff told me he thought they could not 'swim' well & (almost) never went upward ie shallower. In other words where you found them, they either stayed @ that depth of deeper(from not being able to ascend--lets call it).....Anyone out there have any good knowledge of seahorese.....if so, tia....

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Well the colonies we have watched have moved around a bit. Dave Herastis has been marking them with a dye and tracking them in several different locations quite some distance apart... I will have to see if I can locate info on it for you. I know David is on another forum... DiveOZ or something... I can only keep upto one but I will ask the Fish if he knows and sent a link for you