Seamoth
Pegasus volitans
About
The seamoth is a strange little fish that wears its skeleton on the outside, in bony plates instead of scales. It grows to about 20 cm and creeps over muddy seafloors on leg-like fins rather than swimming freely.
Also known as: long-tailed dragonfish, longtail seamoth, longtail seamouth, pegasus volitans, pelagic dragon-fish, sea moth, shorttail dragonfish, slender seamoth, winged dragonfish
- Length
- 20 cm
- Depth
- 9–27 m
How to tell it apart
Other seamoths share the same armoured, paddle-snouted shape, so look at the spotting: dense dark brown spots over the head, body and fins mark this species.
Appearance
Its body is narrow and elongated, encased in hard body plates, with a long flattened snout shaped like a paddle. The tail is ringed with plates and ends in a pair of backward-pointing spines. Colour runs from light brown or olive to dark brown-black on top and sides, paler underneath, with dark brown spots scattered over the head, body, and fins, and sometimes pale or dark bands on the tail.
Is it dangerous?
harmless
Did you know?
Adult seamoths are mostly found paired up in muddy estuaries, while the young drift off into open tropical waters before settling down.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.