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Seahorse Symphony
Step into the mystical underwater world of seahorses and their relatives.
Seahorse Symphony - one of Shedd Aquarium's most popular special exhibits ever - offers you
the chance to get to know the entire seahorse family. These elusive fishes swim in the shallow
waters of the world's oceans: in seagrass meadows, around coral reefs, in mangrove forests and
in floating beds of seaweed. They live along coasts all around the world, except in polar waters.
Seahorses and their relatives--seadragons, pipefishes, ghost pipefishes, shrimpfishes and
trumpetfishes--make up the order Syngnathiformes (sing-NATH-ih-forms). Together, these animals
form what scientists call the "fused jaw" fishes. These fishes differ in appearance - often
dramatically - but they share a few basic characteristics. They have long, tube-shaped snouts,
armored bodies and delicate fins, and protective camouflage. Seahorses, pipefishes and
seadragons also share another unusual trait. The male becomes pregnant!
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It is estimated that each year more than 20 million seahorses are taken from the wild
to be used in medicines, as pets and as souvenirs. At Shedd Aquarium, we are financially
helping to support an international effort called Project Seahorse. Project Seahorse is a
group committed to conserving seahorse populations while recognizing the needs of people
who depend on them-a critical environmental concept called "sustainable use."
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