Weedy seadragons do 'daddy daycare'

Updated August 15, 2011 10:22:16

Tasmanian scientists have discovered weedy seadragons have unique markings and form male 'parenting' groups.

Dr Keith Martin-Smith from the University of Tasmania spent more than two years photographing seadragons south of Hobart.

The research will help to build population models of the protected species.

Weedy seadragons are related to sea horses, and like their cousins, the males are responsible for bearing the young.

Dr Martin-Smith discovered the usually solitary males gather together after breeding.

"I've taken to calling them creches because it's where they hang out when they're looking after the young, inasmuch as they do in seadragons," he said.

"So all the males when they are carrying eggs, when they're pregnant, hang out in these little groups within a few metres of each other."

He has used pattern-recognition software, initially developed by star gazers, to help match up markings on the animals.

"The seadragons have these beautiful spot patterns on the side of the body," he said

"And those spot patterns are basically unique to individuals, so they're a bit like a human fingerprint except probably more complicated than that."

Dr Martin-Smith hopes to build an interactive public database.

"One of the things we've been thinking about doing with this is expanding it to a public participation program where you could have somewhere on the web where you could basically upload your photograph, and then at some point in the future you'd get a little download telling you where that individual was, how many times it'd been seen."

Topics: marine-biology, research-organisations, university-of-tasmania-7005

First posted August 15, 2011 09:15:01