The seahorse is a fascinating creature that have a horse shaped head, large eyes, a curved trunk, and a prehensile tail. Prehensile means that the tails can grasp onto things much like monkey's. The seahorse's scientific genus is hippocampus spp meaning bent horse in Latin. It is from the family of syngnathidae or bony fish.

Seahorses come in many colors that help them blend into their coral reef habitats. This hides them from predators searching for food. These colors are usually blue, pink, purple, and yellow. Some seahorses can even change colors to match the plants in their habitat. They are able to shed their skin filaments (threadlike fibers) and anchor themselves to seaweed and mangroves.

Seahorses range in size from 1 inch to about 14 inches long. The smallest being the Pygmy Seahorse. They have armor plates that cover their body not scales like other fish. The length of a seahorse is measured from the first trunk ring to the tip of the tail. The head is measured from the tip of the snout to just before the first trunk ring. The snout is measured from the tip of the snout to the gill opening. Eye, nose, and cheek spines also differ in length from species to species. All seahorses have independently orbital (round) eyes and a pair of pectoral fins immediately behind the gill opening. The pectoral fins help them control the direction that they are moving.

The Seahorse propels itself by the pectoral fins and the dorsal fin which joins the trunk at the tail.

Male seahorses have a brood pouch that is beneath the anal fin that tapers to the tail when it empties.

During reproduction, the pouch is very pronounced and protuding. It features a vertical opening where the female deposits her eggs and from which fry (baby seahorses) emerge after gestation.