Seahorse hides under a jetty
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Duration: 03:21Filesize: About 114 MB
Resolution: 1280x720
Filesize: About 52 MB
Resolution: 854x480
18 Mar, 2009
School of cuttlefish hunts in the waters of the Knysna estuary.
We returned to Tapas Jetty on the western bank of South Africa's Knysna lagoon today, to a place that is home to many of the seahorses found in this estuary.
It took us some time to find the seahorses and while looking for these small endemic fish, we came across a school of cuttlefish (Sepia vermiculata).
The common cuttlefish is the largest cuttlefish in South Africa, usually found in sheltered lagoons and estuaries. Cuttlefish feed on fish, which they catch by shooting their tentacles out and grabbing their prey. All the tentacles have suckers, which enable the cuttlefish to hold its prey once caught.
Just as we had started thinking how difficult it was to find a seahorse, we came across a large yellow Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis).
This endemic fish lives in only a few estuaries along the southern coast of South Africa. Seahorses have spine-like rings running from their tapering tails to their heads. Another unusual feature of this small creature is that the male bears the young in its ventral pouch.
Thrilled with our first seahorse sighting, we made our way through pillars encrusted with feather-duster worms (Sabellastarte longa) towards the stairs at the end of the jetty.
– by Ian Cook, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch
More about this clip
Country: South Africa
Habitat: Marine coastline
Location: Knysna, Western Cape
Tags: Barry Skinstad, Ian Cook, Crowned nudibranch, Polycera capensis, Polycera, Capensis, Feather-duster worm, Sabellastarte, Longa, Sabellastarte longa, Common cuttlefish, Sepia vermiculata, Sepia, Vermiculata, Knysna, Hippocampus capensis, Hippocampus, Lagoon, Mud, Tidal, Estuary, Seahorse, Nudibranch, Tentacle, Sucker, Male, Pouch, Seahorse, Fish, Vertebrates, Knysna, Western Cape, South Africa, Africa, Marine coastline
Comments
subscribe to commentsChristine
said on 20 Mar, 2009
I loved the beautiful green reflection from the school of cuttlefish. It gave them a weird UFO appearance. The little seahorse was just beautiful. I was in Knysna recently and had no idea what I was missing.
