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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing leafy sea dragons. Be sure to subscribe to stay up to date on new videos! Jesus Sanchez suggested today’s creature, and we’re excited to talk about it! Leafy sea dragons live in shallow waters off the southern coasts of Australia. They average 1 foot (30.48 centimeters) in length and typically appear in shades of yellow, brown, and olive green. Their color is dependent on their age, diet, and environmental stressors. Probably their most defining characteristic, however, are their leaf-like appendages. These leafy bits help leafy sea dragons blend into the kelp forests, seagrass meadows, and seaweed beds they tend to inhabit. It should be mentioned that these sea dragons have a similar looking cousin, the weedy sea dragon, but that these are in fact separate species. Also, leafy sea dragons look a lot like sea horses, but they’re considered to be more closely related to pipefish - though, I mean, they still are related to sea horses, too. That’s even apparent in how they raise their young.

Like sea horses, the male leafy sea dragon is in charge of brooding the eggs, though he doesn’t possess a pouch the way a sea horse does. A female leafy sea dragon will produce somewhere around 200 eggs that she will transfer to the male. The male fertilizes the eggs during this transfer, and places them along the underside of his tail. His tail is equip with egg cups, or small indentations, to hold them close. He’ll raise the eggs for about a month at which point they will begin to hatch. The eggs hatch over the course of a week to help raise their chance of survival because, as babies, leafy sea dragons are quite vulnerable. Fortunately for them, they grow fast, starting at 20mm (0.79 inches) and growing to 20cm (7.9 inches) by their first year. It takes two years for them to reach adult size and they can live for seven years, well at least in captivity.

Leafy sea dragons don’t really have any known predators, but they are often caught as by-catch in fishing nets and are taken by divers for the pet trade. Which is actually illegal without a license. Leafy sea dragons aren’t the marine emblem of South Australia for nothing - these fancy fish are completely protected in Australian waters and their export is strictly monitored. The laws protecting leafy sea dragons came into place in the 1990s when they were heavily harvested for the pet trade and their populations took a nosedive. The government of Australia stepped in and put bans on their collection. Now only one brooding male per year may be taken from the wild for research purposes. There is actually a database called “dragon search” designed for divers to report sightings of this near threatened creature.

A leafy sea dragon’s leafy protrusions might seem like ample oars use for getting around, but they don’t serve this purpose. They’re mostly decorative - that is, if you consider camouflage decorative and I know some people do. Looking at you, sis. Leafy sea dragons do, however, have nearly translucent fins that allow them to peruse their habitat for prey. The prey of a leafy sea dragon includes planktonic crustaceans and larval fishes. A leafy sea dragon will use its straw-like snout to suck up its prey, and they’re pretty dang accurate. They also have spines along the sides of their bodies to help ward off any would-be predators, though really, they blend in so well, even humans have a hard time finding them!

For more facts on leafy sea dragons, check out the links in the description. Tell us you thoughts on these fascinating creatures in the comments. Give a thumbs up for leafy sea dragons, and thanks for watching Animal Fact Files.