AQUATIC VERTEBRATES 



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customed to thinking- of care of the eggs and young as a maternal in- 

 stinct, but in the fish it is the male that gives the care to the young if any 

 is given. The female shows no further interest in the proceedings after 

 she has laid her eggs. 



Photo by Winchester 



Fig. 25.7. Male sea horse with brood pouch. If any care is given the young in fishes 



the male does it. In the sea horse the male develops this large pouch on the ventral 



surface of its body and places the eggs from the female in it to hatch. It also serves 



as a place of protection for the young after hatching. 



The sea horse is one of the strangest of a host of strange fish in 

 respect to reproduction. The name is not descriptive of size for it is 

 seldom more than five inches in length, but the head does somewhat 

 resemble the head of a horse. The male sea horse has a brood pouch 

 located on the ventral surface of the tail and, during the reproductive 

 season, he will swim behind a female and, as she lays the eggs, he will 

 catch them in this pouch. As he swims around in an upright position 



