The Kid Should See This

Can you spot these pygmy seahorses?

Watch more with these video collections:

The smallest seahorse species on the planet, brightly colored pygmy seahorses, can be really, really hard to find. They primarily live on specific soft corals that camouflage their small bodies with similar colors and textures.

scuba diving
In this Descending 4K video, filmed in The Coral Triangle of Lembeh Strait, Indonesia, scuba divers Scott and Ellis try to spot the minuscule creatures anchoring to the coral with their prehensile tails.

“The only defense this tiny little guy has in the whole world is his camouflage, and it is good camouflage. If it leaves this piece of coral, it doesn’t blend in with anything else around here.”

fan coral
Oceana shares more about this fingernail-size fish:

“Pygmy seahorses grow to an average size of 0.55 to 1.06 inches (1.4 to 2.7 cm).2 Bargibant’s pygmy seahorse grows to a maximum length of 0.94 inches (2.4 cm) and has rounded tubercles on its body that matches the color and shape of its host gorgonian coral. This species is usually one of two colors: purple with pink tubercles or yellow with orange tubercles, depending on the host gorgonian’s color. A single gorgonian can be home to up to 28 pairs of Bargibant’s pygmy seahorses.”

pygmy seahorses
Next, watch Pygmy Seahorses: Masters of vibrantly-colored coral camouflage.

Plus, discover more syngnathidae videos, including the camouflaged Robust Ghost Pipefish.

🌈 Watch these videos next...

What to Expect From an Expecting Seahorse

Rion Nakaya

Weedy sea dragons exchange eggs from female to male

Rion Nakaya

Two weedy seadragons “dance into the night”

Rion Nakaya

Β°Λ–βœ§ (γ₯ ʘ β€Ώ ʘ )γ₯β”β˜†γƒ»Λš. °◦⋆q˖°*。‒ βœ§Λ–Β°