Weedy Seadragon

The weedy seadragon looks like a piece of drifting kelp brought to life. This slow, gentle fish grows to about 46 cm and is one of the strangest sights on a southern Australian reef dive.

Also known as: common seadragon, lucas' sea-dragon, lucas' seadragon, phyllopteryx taeniolatus

It can be confused with the leafy seadragon, which shares the same seaweed disguise. The weedy seadragon's yellow-and-purple striping is the giveaway — the leafy seadragon has no stripes and is covered in far more leaf fronds all over its body.

The body is reddish, marked with yellow and purple stripes, and covered in small leaf-like flaps that look like strands of seaweed. Short spines along the body give extra protection. The snout is long and tube-shaped, ending in a small toothless mouth. A long fin runs down the back, and two small fins sit near the neck for balance. Males are narrower and darker than females.

Weedy seadragons live along the southern coast of Australia, from rocky reefs to seaweed beds and seagrass meadows. They are usually found from about 10 to 30 m deep, though they have been recorded as deep as 50 m.

This is a slow-moving fish that relies on camouflage rather than speed to stay safe. It drifts through kelp and seaweed, blending in with its leafy flaps, and has no gripping tail to anchor itself like a seahorse. It is seen alone or in pairs, feeding on tiny crustaceans and other small drifting animals by sucking them into its mouth. Females lay their eggs onto a patch on the underside of the male's tail, and he carries them for about a month until they hatch.

harmless to humans

The weedy seadragon is listed as Least Concern, but loss of seagrass and seaweed habitat from coastal development and pollution is a growing threat.

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  Broadnosed Pipefish

  Syngnathus typhle

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  Ghost Pipefish

  Solenostomus paradoxus

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  Greater Pipefish

  Syngnathus acus

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  Leafy Seadragon

  Phycodurus eques

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  Northern Pipefish

  Syngnathus fuscus

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  Pipefish

  pipe_fish