This is Verco’s pipefish going for a little swim

Today I want to write about a cute little fish called Verco’s pipefish.

Here are five interesting facts about them:

1. These strange little fish grow to about 10 cm long.
2. Verco’s pipefish use their small snouts to catch plankton and small particles in the water.
3. At breeding time, the males carry the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail.
4. They are named after Sir James Verco, who was a South Australian doctor and conchologist, which means that he studied mollusc shells.  He had a large collection of shells and studied the marine life of South Australian waters in the early 1900’s.
5. Verco’s pipefish are found in seagrass in a very small area in the waters of South Australia near Kangaroo Island.  They are considered vulnerable to extinction due the possibility of damage to their ecosystem.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about Verco’s pipefish?