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Fish and Their Fabulous Neighbors 



THE SEA HORSE-AS ODD AS ITS NAME 



The ways of a sea horse are strange Indeed. It is a fish not a horse; but it has 

 a horse-shaped head and a tail that reminds us of a caterpillar's. It swims upright, 

 and its eyes move independently of each other. The eggs of the sea horse are 

 carried in a pouch by the male! Bony plates cover the body of this fish. 



The dried bodies of sea horses are prize discoveries for boys and 

 girls at a beach, where the animals are often stranded by the tide. 



SHOCKING FISH 



Another unusual fish you may encounter at the seashore 

 is the little electric star gazer, which spends much of its time 

 buried to its eyes in sand. Only if you happen to step on one is 

 its hiding place quickly revealed: Its power to give an electric 

 shock is its means of defense. 



There are other fish, larger than the star gazer, that are also 

 equipped with "batteries," but they are not native to our country. 

 One of these is the electric catfish of Africa, another the electric 

 eel of South America which not only uses its powers of shock to 

 defend itself, but also as a weapon for securing food. 



