Sea Dragons are close relatives of sea horses, having larger bodies and leaf-like appendages which enable them to hide among floating seaweed or kelp beds.

Leafy Sea Dragons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/annak/441319200/

Like seahorses, male sea dragons carry and incubate the eggs until they hatch.  But sea dragons carry the 250 eggs or so on the underside of the male’s tail.  Only about 5% of them survive to maturity (2 years.)

(c) David Hall/www.seaphotos.com

“Pregnant” male leafy sea dragon with pink eggs underneath his tail.

Sea Dragons grow to about 18 inches so are larger than sea horses.

Weedy Sea Dragons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saspotato/4299086755/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maveric2003/2090848444/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rling/4048015994/

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