This rare animal that can grow from 20 to 24 cm is the most beautiful dragon in the world. Belonging to the family Syngnathidae and the only member of the genus Phycodurus, the male being larger than the female, it lives in shallow temperate waters off the west and south coasts of Australia.
It uses the extensions it has along its body, similar to leaves, which allow it to camouflage itself, to go unnoticed by its predators, hiding among algae and marine flora. With a thin elongated body, with a foliated appearance, it is propelled by a pectoral fin on its neck and a dorsal fin near the end of its tail, both small and difficult to see due to their transparent appearance that make just the right movement to move it gently like floating algae. balanced by the currents outside.
It feeds on small marine organisms that it sucks through its mouth, which has a proboscis function, absorbing small whole foods that can be later digested, such as shrimp, crustaceans and plankton.
Like the seahorse, the male is the one who carries the eggs, which are deposited by the female in her tail where, once fertilized, they will be carried by the male while they mature, for approximately nine weeks, helping, once When the time comes, to detach them from their tail, using agile movements against the rocks or algae, in a process that can last up to two days.
The offspring are totally independent when they are born, with a fully functional body, and the ability to feed themselves, hence, only a small number reach adulthood, since many will end up as food for other marine animals. The sea dragon is a slow species, which makes it an easy target for its predators, its main cause of mortality being serving as food for all kinds of fish.
They are normally solitary animals found in coral reefs and algae meadows, from where through their 360-degree vision, which they achieve by having their eyes capable of moving independently, they can monitor their entire environment.
Sea dragons have the same ability as the octopus, although not as developed, to change the color of their skin, allowing them to accentuate their camouflage tactics in the presence of possible predators, mainly sharks, rays and swordfish, seagulls and pelicans.
They are very territorial animals, where each specimen has its own territory, normally formed by an area of a few square meters, where it feeds and reproduces. They generally defend their territory from other sea dragons by deploying their fins, which they open and close aggressively to warn other sea dragons to stay away, and even waving their fins aggressively to pretend to be larger and more dangerous.
With a great sense of orientation, they are very weak animals, which spend most of their time immobile, as they get exhausted very easily, and it is common for them to lose their lives when the sea is agitated by storms.
Exposed to numerous dangers, both natural and artificial, mainly due to the degradation of their environment and accidental capture in fishing, they have been declared a protected species in Australia since 1987, being included in the Law of Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This animal is an official emblem of several Australian organisations, as well as the state of South Australia.
