Hawaiian Marine Life Profiles: Fish  Back to Marine Life Index
Common Name:  Fisher's Seahorse  Hawaiian Name:  mo o lio
Scientific Name:  Hippocampus fisheri  Found in Exhibit:  Mid
Reef  If a man ever became pregnant and gave birth to 100
babies-or even one baby, the event would make headlines around
the world, and women everywhere would probably stand up and
cheer.  For the three-inch high Fisher's seahorse-the most
common but rarely seen seahorse in Hawaiian waters-such a
miracle is just the normal way of doing things. Males of all
species of seahorses become pregnant, carry the eggs of their
young for a gestation period of 10 to 50 days, and give birth to
anywhere from 100 to 300 babies.  Seahorses are monogamous, at
least for a single breeding season, but some mate for life. Each
day, just after dawn, the mated pair will greet each other with
a graceful dance lasting for up to 10 minutes. The couple then
separates for the remainder of the day. They are believed to
mate during a full moon, at which tim