An adult pot-bellied sea horse at the Portobello Marine
Studies Centre. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Fathers became mothers at the Portobello Marine Studies
Centre this week.
Two male pot-bellied sea horses gave birth to several hundred
babies at the University of Otago aquarium.
The male of the species carries fertilised eggs in a pouch in
their chest.
Volunteer Megan Wiedeback was cleaning the aquarium on
Wednesday when she noticed "sea ponies" in the sea horse
tank.
She rushed over to see one of the sea horses in the process
of giving birth.
"There was a bunch of tails sticking out of his chest - it
was pretty bizarre."
She ran to fetch other staff members, who got there in time
to see "a cloud of babies" in the water.
Manager Tessa Mills said the event was very exciting.
It was unusual for sea horses to breed at this time of year,
she said.
Aquarist John Campbell attributed the unseasonal breeding
behaviour to warmer sea temperatures.
He said he knew the males were pregnant because "they go all
gloomy and hide in the seaweed".
The babies were about 6mm long and could fend for themselves
from day one.
They were removed from the tank before the adult sea horses
mistook them for food, and staff later released them into the
harbour.
- Lisa Holland
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