A long-snouted seahorse has been seen in the coastal waters of South West England. Also known as the Spiny Seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus, the rare fish was spotted on a lunchtime walk by Cornwall Council’s nature recovery officer Alicia Shepherd, and it’s one of only seven sightings in the county over the past ten years.
Ms Shephard said it was an incredibly rare species to come across in the county, with experts calling the discovery special.
“I can’t stress enough how special it is to see a seahorse thriving in Cornwall waters.” She explained.
“This is an insanely rare species to find and isn’t something most people will ever see in their lifetime.”
Hippocampus guttulatus is one of only two Seahorse species found in UK seas, the other being the Short-snouted Seahorse, Hippocampus hippocampus. Growing up to 8” in length, it is recognizable by the fleshy mane on its neck and back, and inhabits eelgrass meadows in shallow coastal waters in the North Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.
It is a Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework and protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. An indicator species, it is a Feature of Conservation Importance for which Marine Conservation Zones can be designated.
Areas with populations of seahorses can be good indicators of healthy waters and habitats for other marine animals.
Cornwall Council said that research shows seahorse populations have decreased rapidly, but that the discovery was “a sign of the improving health of Cornish rivers and estuaries and the ongoing need to protect and restore nature in the region”.
Image credit Roberto Pillon, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
