Seahorses mate and reproduce quite differently than most other fish in the sea.
It all starts with a romantic encounter in which the male and female get close to 'dance' with one another; they do this by connecting their prehensile tails. This process can last for days, and both seahorses may experience color changes as a part of their mating display.
Unlike most other animals in the animal kingdom, it's the male seahorse that gets pregnant; not the female. When it's time to mate, the male puffs out his belly to let the female know that he's ready. The female then deposits her eggs into the male's brood pouch so he can fertilize them later.
After the pregnancy comes to an end, the muscles in the male's pouch expel a plethora of baby seahorses called 'fry.' As many as 1,000 fry can get released at one time, but many won't survive, either because they get eaten or don't hold up the harsh elements of the wild.
Seahorses are strange, yet oddly fascinating. Who agrees?
