News from Tynemouth
Seahorse Weekend!
A nursery filled with baby seahorses will be the star attraction at the Blue Reef Aquarium in
The aquarium has pioneered a successful captive breeding programme for a number of seahorse species and, as well as the newest arrivals, several older generations will be on display to the public as part of the two-day event.
Aquarists will also be holding a series of special feeding demonstrations, talks and displays aimed at raising awareness of these graceful but sadly endangered creatures.
Younger visitors will even be able to take part in a seahorse quiz trail throughout the aquarium.
"As well as easing pressures on wild populations, the breeding programmes also provide a fascinating insight into the world of the seahorse for our visitors," explained Blue Reef's Anna Etchells.
"We're also hoping that the weekend's activities will help raise awareness of the dangers these amazing fish are facing in the wild," she added.
The seahorse is unique in the animal kingdom in that it is the male rather than the female which carries the babies and gives birth to them via a special brood pouch on their stomach.
In the wild virtually all of the approximate 35 species of seahorse are now under threat from a variety of sources.
These include loss of habitat, pollution, the souvenir trade and traditional
Although extremely rare, there are actually believed to be two separate species of seahorse found in British waters - short snouted (Hippocampus hippocampus) and spiny (Hippocampus guttulatus).
Marine experts now believe that both species are permanent residents in
The seahorses at the Blue Reef Aquarium are part of a captive-breeding programme which aims to ease the pressure on wild populations.
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