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A magnificent photograph of Peale’s Black-Chinned Dolphin. Credit to Caroline Weir. This month’s article series shall be discussing the Patagonian Chiloe Island. Chiloe Island, also known as the Greater Island of Chiloe, is an island in the Chiloe Archipelago off the coast of Chile. The island is located off the southern coast of Chile, & is the largest island in the Chiloe Archipelago. The island has a rather small population, that being 154,775 people. The island has an area of approximately 3,291 square miles (8,523.651). The island is vaguely shaped like a rectangle. The island isn’t well known outside of Chile, & generally doesn’t receive much tourism. Ecologically, the isle is incredibly biodiverse. The southwestern portion of the island consists of temperate forests, & swamps. Mountains adorn the island from the Northwestern area to the southeast area. The island consists of beautiful rugged coastlines, that border the Pacific Ocean, & the Sea of Chiloe. While the Western shores have a relatively straight coastline, then Northern & Eastern shores have hundreds of bays, inlets, & peninsulas. In the waters off of these coastlines, lay a statuesque creature known as Peale’s Black-Chinned Dolphin. The Black Chinned Dolphin, also known as Peale’s Dolphin, is a species of dolphin found off the coast of Patagonia, & the tip of South America. They are found in both the Pacific & Atlantic Ocean. They are rather sociable creatures, & can be found in small groups roaming around near kelp beds. Individuals are commonly seen off the coast of Chiloe, playing in the water. They are extremely recognizable, as their underbellies are dark grey, while the rest of their body is black. Individuals tend to live in shallower waters, however they are known to inhabit waters as deep as 300 meters (984.252 feet). In this article we shall discuss the discovery & life of Peale’s Black Chinned Dolphin, the mating techniques, tactics, strategies, practices, procedures, & habits of Peale’s Black Chinned dolphin, the distribution of Peale’s Black Chinned Dolphin, & finally the scientific detailings of Peale’s Black Chinned Dolphin. With that being said, let us delve into this gorgeous & intelligent creature. The Discovery & Life Of Peale’s Black Chinned Dolphin The Black Chinned Dolphin was discovered in 1848, by scientific illustrator & naturalist Titain Ramsey Peale. Individuals are approximately 2.1 meters long once they have reached maturity. They weigh between 100 & 115 kilograms (220.462 to 253.532 pounds). There is slight sexual dimorphism in this species, meaning that males are slightly larger then females. Their life span has an average of 25, & generally individuals don’t live longer than 40 years. It is a well documented fact that dolphins are incredibly intelligent. Individuals are able to communicate their needs with each other & humans. They are also capable of learning tricks or mirroring other dolphins behaviours. Some studies suggest that dolphins are some of the smartest animals, only second to humans. They are incredibly social animals & seem to have almost their own language. Black Chinned Dolphins themselves are known to congregate in groups of 30 to 100 at a time, however these groups are very loose, & not fixed. They will make clicking noises towards each other in these groups, with each dolphin having their own personal call. Using brain size as a barometer, dolphins come in very close to humans in brain to body size ratio. They seem to be the second animals on this scale. However, the vast majority of the ocean is still undiscovered, so this very well may change. They have also developed a use for underwater echolocation. They use echolocation in order to hunt in particularly deep water or water with very low visibility. They also have excellent memories, they are able to remember the faces of their caretakers in certain areas like rehabilitation centers. They also will favour certain humans over others. They are able to crave or want attention from certain humans, this is most well documented in the Nasa-funded experiment known as “Dolphinarium”. In this experiment Margaret Howe Lovatt attempted to teach an adolescent dolphin “Peter” to speak English. This did not work as Peter became attracted to the scientist, & refused to be without her. He became territorial over her, becoming aggressive towards the male scientists she worked with. This proves that dolphins have the capacity to love in a sense, & to love things that aren’t their own species. In that same vein, they are able to feel jealousy. Dolphins in the wild don’t interact with humans very often, however when they do, they are generally playful & mischievous. Generally, individuals are not aggressive towards humans, however they are aggressive towards each other. Despite the majority of individuals not being territorial, dolphins are known to be incredibly & needlessly aggressive towards each other & other marine mammals. Dolphins as a whole have existed for approximately 10 to 15 million years. It is unclear how fast Black Chinned Dolphins is able to swim, however it is clear how they are able to swim. They swim by moving their tail flukes up & down through the water column, while using their pectoral fins to steer. They remain buoyant by storing extra fat in their bodies, as fat weighs less then water. This species is incredibly agile, & is able to swiftly maneuver through the ocean. Dolphins sleep by turning off half their brains, & resting straight up near the surface of the water. The reason for only turning off half their brain, is that they have to maintain consciousness if a predator or threat arrives. The diet of the Black Chinned Dolphin consists largely of squid, octopi, & shrimp. They are not cannibalistic at any stage in their development. It is not clear what their metabolic rate is, or how much they consume per day. They are active predators, & are diurnal creatures. Detection of prey is through echolocation for farther objects, & electroreception for closer objects. It is not clear what kinds of predators they have, or how their relationship with these predators change as they age. Their primary threat is pollution, rather than any marine animal. Peale’s Dolphins have sturdy & fatty bodies, with a slight curve in their beaks. Individuals have dark grey underbellies, with the rest of their bodies being black. Their dorsal fins are bow shaped. This species has been assessed by the IUCN Red List, & has been thankfully categorized as Least Concern. Their population trend is unknown. The Mating Techniques, Tactics, Strategies, Practices, Procedures, & Habits Of Peale’s Black Chinned Dolphin This species reproduces via sexual reproduction, & has 2 distinct sexes. They are not monogamous, & are instead polyamorous. Females will reach sexual maturity at 10 to 15 years of age, while males will reach it at 13 to 17 years of age. It seems that they do have a specific breeding system, that being October through April. It is not clear how exactly males & females find each other to copulate, however it is assumed that they congregate in large groups. Once the couple have engaged in copulation, the female will gestate it for 10 to 12 months. The male will have no part in the baby or the mothers life after this. The female will give birth to the baby live, & nurse the calf for 1 & a half years. The mother will only have 1 calf at a time, as they are absolutely massive. A mother might be able to have twins, however it is extremely rare, difficult, & complicated to do. The calves will rely on the mother for primary nutrition, however will begin hunting & digesting solid foods at 6 months to 1 year of age. The Distribution Of Peale’s Black Chinned Dolphin The Black Chinned Dolphin is found around the southern tip of South America, & is found as far north as Valdivia, Chile. They inhabit both coastal waters, & open oceans. They commonly live in inlets, & bays, however they avoid swamps & brackish water. The Scientific Detailings Of Peale’s Black Chinned Dolphin Dolphins are quite infamous for a few things, however the main thing is that they are able to blow water out of a hole in the top of their head. The reason that they do this is because they have to breathe through their nostrils. They cannot breathe underwater like many other marine animals. To be clear, the water that they blow out does not come from the dolphins lungs. It is the water that already sits atop their head. They blow this water out to inhale, as they are able to only inhale through their blowholes. It is unclear whether or not this species any major parasites. If it does, these species are likely to be intestinal parasites, & skin parasites. Copepods are commonly found in dolphins as a group, however they have not been confirmed to parasitize this species. Black Chinned Dolphins have 1 row of small sharp teeth on both their upper & lower jaw, used for ripping into fish. Their bone structure is similar to most other Dolphins. Their blood is iron based, meaning that is red. It is believed that all dolphin species have evolved from an ungulate known as Pakicetus. This creature was a four-legged mammal that was able to walk on land 50 million years ago. Overtime, Pakicetus began to live around water, & adapted to do so. Over the course of 50 million years, the creature evolved to fully live in water. This is reason we have modern cetaceans. Their phylum is Chordata, meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics all species under the phylum of chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either In adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, & a post-anal tail. Their class is Mammalia. Mammalia is classified by the production of milk by the mother for their child to nurse, a neocortex which is a region of the brain, some capacity of fur or hair, & three middle ear bones.  There are currently 6,400 species categorized under the class of Mammalia. Their order is Artiodactyla. which are even toed ungulates. Species categorized under Artiodactyla are ungulates, hoofed animals which bear weight equally on two of their five toes, these toes are the third & fourth toes. The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigal, or pointing posteriorly. Their infraorder is that of Cetacea. Key characteristics of this infraorder are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size & exclusively carnivorous diet. Another characteristic is their incredible social intelligence. There are roughly 90 species categorized under Cetacea. Their family is Delphinidae. This family consists of most oceanic dolphins. This family does not include river dolphins. Two characteristics of this order is that they are purely carnivorous & they are all usually incredibly social creatures. Some great examples of this are the fact that majority of these species live in pods or large groups. Their genus is that of Lagenorhynchus. Laegenorhynchus is a genus of dolphins that currently contains 6 extant species. This genus is polyphyletic, meaning that species in this genus come from mixed origin, & that the genus doesn’t include their most recent common ancestor. Their binomial name is Lagenorhynchus Australis. A pod of Peale’s Black Chinned Dolphins excitedly leaping through the air. Credit to Oceanwide Expeditions. https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/ Directories / Credits Citation No. 1: “Peale’s Dolphin”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Oceanwide Expeditions. Retrieval Date: April 2nd, 2024. https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/to-do-amp/wildlife/peale-s-dolphin Citation No. 2: “Peale’s Dolphin”, Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Whale & Dolphin Conservation. Retrieval Date: April 2nd, 2024. https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/peales-dolphin/ Citation No. 3: “Peale’s Dolphin”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Animalia. Retrieval Date: April 2nd, 2024. https://animalia.bio/peales-dolphin Citation No. 4: “Peale’s Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus Australis)”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Dolphins World. Retrieval Date: April 2nd, 2024. https://www.dolphins-world.com/peales-dolphin/ Citation No. 5: “Peale’s Dolphin Facts | Anatomy, Diet, Migration, & Reproduction” Written by Unknown, & Published by Whale Facts. Retrieval Date: April 2nd, 2024. https://www.whalefacts.org/peales-dolphin-facts/ Strategic Partnerships Reel Guppy Outdoors SharkedSkooler Marine Enthusiasts Podcast Cash Daniels Tides of Tomorrow The Open Book, Topanga Pitfire Artisan Pizza Our Loyal Patrons P. R. Ochoa

A vivid photograph of Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico. Credit to Go Fish Punta Mita. In this article, we shall be discussing the Documented History of Sayulita. Sayulita is a small resort town on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. It is located in the Nayarit state, & is just north of Banderas Bay. Their beaches are extremely popular amongst surfers, & have been popular for a long time. Additionally, the coastline is popular amongst snorkelers & scuba divers alike. Its proximity to Puerto Vallarta also helps with domestic tourism. The nightlife is extremely active, which is a very attractive feature. Well known for its food, never ending parties, & wildlife, the city truly has something to offer to almost everyone. However, with all of these intriguing things to do, many often forget about the magnificent wildlife of Sayulita. Sayulita has many, many different creatures, from whales, to geckos, to land crabs. The landscape is vast, & unequivocally biodiverse. Approximately 300 bird species are found in the city, both near the coast & the mountains. However, this is not these are not the only things Sayulita has to offer, as the area has a rich & beautiful history. Sayulita’s name comes from an Aztec word, Sayolin, which means “The Place of the Flies”. The city was named by Nahuatl resident Don Lauro González Guerra. A few sources claim that he named it after Sayula, Jalisco, Mexico, however this is not confirmed. For the majority of its history, Sayulita has been isolated from the rest of Mexico, & has developed largely on its own. The indigenous aboriginals that inhabited the area prior the Spaniards sailing in, are the Huichol. They still inhabit the area, & are extremely active. These indigenous aboriginals, are descended directly from the Aztecs. In this article, we shall discuss the documented history of Sayulita, the indigenous aboriginals of Sayulita, the most destructive man-caused & natural disasters to affect Sayulita, & the economic state of Sayulita. With that being said, let us delve into the rich, tropical, & intriguing history of Sayulita, Mexico. The Documented History Of Sayulita Before Colonization Prior to Colonization, Sayulita was inhabited by the Aztecs, & later the Huichol. These people would fish, & generally use the coastline as a source of economic development. After Colonization By The Spaniards Historical Events From The 1500’s To The 1800’s The first Spanish Explorer sailed in, in the year 1524. This explorer went by the name of Francisco Cortés de San Buenaventura. Upon sailing in, it was discovered by him & his men that Sayulita had a lot of economic potential, as the coconut palms in the region provide a rich palm oil. The men quickly began working to extract the oil, & shipping it out. For the next few centuries, this is largely what sustained the economy. After Mexico’s Independence Historical Events From The 1900’s During the turn of the century, Sayulita had a mere 6 to 10 houses, with 6 to 10 families. In 1936, the cities future seemed dire, so much so that a Mexican resident Don Santiago gave the families in the area plots of land, to prevent the city from falling apart. During this time, Palm Oil was still the main source of revenue for the city, however this began to slowly change. Slowly, people came in from all around, as they began to recognize the cities beauty, & fishing began to become more popular. In the 1940’s, agriculture & fishing began to appear, & slowly grew as an industry in the city. As early as the 1960’s, American, British, Australian, Mexican, & Brazilian surfers would visit the city to surf. This prompted the construction of the Las Varas-Vallarta highway, which opened the city to even more tourism. As these surfers began to spread the knowledge of the city, more began to trickle in. By the 1990’s, Sayulita’s main economic source shifted to tourism, & surfers found the area increasingly attractive. The Indigenous Aboriginals Of Sayulita The Huichol Indigenous Aboriginals Of Sayulita The Huichol Indigenous Aboriginals are a small group of Native Mexicans found in the state of Nayarit. They refer to themselves as Wixàritari.They primarily inhabit the Sierra Madre Mountains. They are considered to be the last tribe in North America to still practice Pre-Columbian traditions. As of 2026, there are approximately 35,000 living Huichols. They traditionally speak the Wixárika Niukiyari language, which belongs to the Uto-Aztecan Language Family. The modern diet of the average Huichol individual primarily consists of cheese, milk, rice, pasta, beans, corn tortillas, peppers, & various vegetables. As for livestock, many keep cattle, chickens, pigs, & goats. It is not clear whether or not they practice agriculture. The Huichol people are directly descended from the Aztecs. Marriage in their culture is often arranged between 2 families, for individuals between 14 & 17 years of age. Once married, the couple will traditionally live in a stone house with thatched roofs. These houses are constructed with the family in mind, & have a communal kitchen. Oftentimes, these houses will be on a ranch, & have family shrines known as Xiriki. The family model is built around extended family, instead of a smaller nuclear family. Districts of related ranchos are known as a temple district. These temple districts comprise a larger district, which are governed by a council of shamans known as Kawiterutsixi. Possibly the most popular things the Huichol are known for, are their beadwork, yarn paintings, & embroidery. The Huichol people make many artistic pieces, often with religious or naturalistic influences. These pieces are important to their culture, & to their shamanistic traditions. As they have lived in the mountains for hundreds of years, they find the mountains to be sacred. In their belief system, the mountains are home to mystical beings. Their religion & world view is deeply tied to nature, & the land they live on. Traditionally, the belief is that 2 governing gods rule the world, those being Tayuapá the sun god, & Nacawé the rain goddess. In their creation myth, Tayuapá created humans with his own saliva, & dropped them in the ocean waves. Afterward, he flew across the ocean in a bird form, & dropped a large cross in the ocean. He climbed this cross from the ocean floor, & killed all the darkness of the world, leaving light alone. The Most Destructive Man Caused & Natural Disasters To Affect Sayulita Disaster No. 1: Hurricane Rosalyn Hurricane Rosalyn was a category 4 hurricane in the Pacific Ocean, lasting from October 20th, 2022, to October 24th, 2022. It was the tenth hurricane in the 2022 Pacific Hurricane Season. It effected the Pacific coast of Mexico, & caused approximately 56.7 million U.S.D in damages. As of 2026, there are 4 recognized direct fatalities as a result of the storm. The Economic State Of Sayulita The economic state of Sayulita is relatively stable. The primary industry of Sayulita is tourism, which greatly benefits the locals. With the economic boom caused by tourists, many businesses have been able to grow & expand in ways that were previously not possible. As of 2026, the average cost of living for a local is 1,266 U.S.D per month. A photograph of a beach crowded with vibrant umbrellas along Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico. Credit to Randy Kostichka. Directories / Credits Citation No. 1: “History; Culture; & Tourism | Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published By Villa Los Corales. Retrieval Date: March 27th, 2024. https://villaloscorales.com/sayulita-nayarit-history-culture-and-tourism/ Citation No. 2: “Sayulita’s Past & Present”, Written by Maria Zache, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Sayulita Life. Retrieval Date: March 27th, 2024. https://www.sayulitalife.com/sayulita-past-present Citation No. 3: “Sayulita, Mexico: Where Magic Meets History” Written by Jessica VanNess, & Published on August 19th, 2023. Published by Process Ceramics. Retrieval Date: March 28, 2024. https://www.processceramics.com/unearthing-the-journey/sayulita-mexico-where-magic-meets-history?format=amp Citation No. 4: “Sayulita, Nayarit” Written by María Fernanda Romero Villavicencio, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Timeline. Retrieval Date: March 28, 2024. https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/sayulita Citation No. 5: “The Huichol of the Sierra Madre” Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published By the Dance Of The Deer Foundation. Retrieval Date: March 28, 2024. https://www.shamanism.com/huichol Citation No. 6: “Huichol Culture, Art, & Religious Traditions” Written By Unknown, & Published on May 25th, 2021. Published by Garza Blanca Resorts. Retrieval Date: March 28, 2024. https://www.garzablancaresort.com/blog/puerto-vallarta/huichol-culture/ Citation No. 7: “Hurricane Rosalyn” Written By Robbie Berg, & Published on February 15th, 2023. Published by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Retrieval Date: March 28, 2024. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/EP192022_Roslyn.pdf Citation No. 8: “Cost Of Living In Sayulita” Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Nomad. Retrieval Date: March 28, 2024. https://nomadlist.com/cost-of-living/in/sayulita Strategic Partnerships Reel Guppy Outdoors SharkedSkooler Marine Enthusiasts Podcast Cash Daniels Tides of Tomorrow The Open Book, Topanga Pitfire Artisan Pizza Olivenbaum Music Our Loyal Patrons P. R. Ochoa

This month’s article series will be about… The island of Saint Lucia! It is its own country. From its closest point to the mainland it is 186.04 Nautical/Marine miles (214.091009 miles or 344.54608 kilometers) from mainland Venezuela. It is also 1314.27 Nautical/Marine miles (1512.434905 miles or 2434.02804 kilometers) from mainland Florida. It exists in the Caribbean & is one of the safest Caribbean islands to visit. It has a beautiful bustling ecosystem that is full of colour & many different strange species. Since it is in a tropical area & also it has many oceanic nutrients, it is incredibly appealing to many species for all sorts of purposes. This makes it incredibly biodiverse. One of the interesting species that are found here, is the slender sea horse. It is not found here for part of the year due to migration cycles, it does not live around Saint Lucia year-round. Some people even say that there is a sea horse mania due to the high concentration of them. In this article, we will discuss the life of the slender seahorse, the mating procedures, tactics, practices, & cycles of the slender sea horse, the distribution of the sea horse, & the scientific details of the sea horse. With that being said, let us delve into the slender sea horse of Saint Lucia. The Lives Of The Slender Sea Horse The Slender Sea Horse was discovered in 1933. It is unknown who exactly discovered it as it was described in a scientific report but the author did not clearly take credit for its discovery. Slender Sea Horses are usually a maximum height of 6.9 inches (17.526 centimeters) for both genders. They do not have an age where they reach maturity, but rather a height with that height being at 3.1 inches (7.874 Centimeters). They usually weigh between 7 ounces & 1 pound (0.198447 to 0.453592 kilograms), this does not change by gender. Its average life span is 2.5 years however this may change depending on the environment. Sea horses are incredibly socially smart & do often form emotional bonds & communicate with each other. They are incredibly social & often live in herds when captured, however they often do live in solitude in the wild. They do have some capacity for memory as they often remember humans who have taken care of them & they remember each other. They also form social hierarchies in herds. They also can form a trust for each other & humans. This species has existed for about 13 million years as those are our oldest fossils of them. Their diet usually consists of krill, copepods, plankton, fish larvae, & occasionally shrimp. Small marine crustaceans are also a common part of their diet. They will also consume any types of small edibles that are around them that they can consume. They are not cannibalistic in any capacity whatsoever. They will often eat up to 3000 pieces of food per day. This is not a result of an accelerated metabolism. The predators they encounter depend on the areas that they are in, however the most common ones for the Saint Lucia population are crabs, larger fish, sharks, & sting rays. Slender Sea Horses are not very territorial & will not fight over territory. Their territories that they do claim often overlap into each other. These territories are often at a size of 1,100 square feet (102.1933 square meters). They are not often aggressive to each other or to humans if left unprovoked. They are not endangered and are categorized as “Not Threatened” on the IUCN list. Besides mating, they often do not engage with other sea horses. They are often yellow brown, or white in colour. However they can be two-toned. A good way to identify them is that they have small black spots along their bodies that other sea horses do not have. The males have a smooth pouch & the females do not. Its head is horse-like & curves down, they also have a longer snout than other sea horse species. The Mating Procedures, Cycles, Tactics, & Practices Of The Slender Sea Horse Slender sea horses mate via sexual reproduction. They mate underwater via internal fertilization. They do not have a specific age, but rather a size that they reach sexual maturity at. That size is 3 inches long. They are not hermaphroditic. Seahorses are monogamous & will form emotional bonds with each other. They stay together for their entire lives after the initial courtship ritual. They have an interesting courtship ritual, in which the male may change colour & inflate his smooth pouch. This pouch is located at the base of his tail. The female & male will then perform a sort of dramatic dance around each other. In this dance they may flutter their fins, synchronize tail movements, & twirl around each other. It is not clear how long this dance is actually supposed to last, however, can last for up to a few days before they begin to mate. After this dance is performed the female will deposit her eggs into the male’s pouch. The female will use her ovipositor in order to do so. The male will then fertilize the eggs, there are usually about 1,600 eggs that will be deposited. However not all of these eggs will hatch or reach adulthood. These eggs are usually 1.2 millimeters (0.0472441 inches or 0.12 centimeters) in diameter. The eggs will take on average 2 weeks to hatch. However, it may take up to 30 days for the father to birth the juveniles. During this period the male will regulate the salinity level in his abdomen to the outside salinity in order to prepare the babies for the salinity once they are birthed. Once the male is ready to give birth to them, his abdomen will open & expel the juvenile seahorses into the ocean. These children will look almost identical to their parents as soon as they have been released. However, some may not be fully developed & still be curled up & covered in egg membrane. This will most likely not affect them later in life. It is not clear the exact percentage of how many of the eggs are actually fertilized & come out alive. It is also not clear what happens to the unfertilized eggs that don’t come out. After they are birthed, the father & mother will not continue to partake in the babies’ lives & will leave to have another group of children. After this, only 0.5% of the children will survive to adulthood to have their own children. It is not clear how many groups of children they will have per year. They also do not have a specific mating season. It is also not clear at what age they are most fertile. The Distribution Of The Slender Sea Horse Slender sea horses are found all throughout the Caribbean. They seem to prefer warmer waters as they are found in higher concentrations around the Caribbean, Brazil, & Venezuela. However, they are found as far north as Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Another reason for them being in the tropics is that there is more flora to blend in with as their main means of defense is camouflage. They reproduce quickly, so this may be a reason why they are found in very many places. Food is also readily available in the tropics so that may be a contributing factor. They do have a bodily cooling system which gives them a bit of freedom when choosing an environment. They have shown signs of migrating further north so in the future we may have a different idea of what environment they prefer. The image above depicts a map of the distribution of Hippocampus Reidi. The Scientific Detailings Of The Slender Sea Horse The Slender Sea Horse is incredibly interesting for many reasons but the most well-known of them all is that the male gets pregnant & gives birth instead of the female. This is a trait that is only found in sea horses & sea dragons. This is due to an interesting attribute, the male has a pouch that the female releases her eggs into. In turn, the male fertilizes the eggs & once he is ready, an opening in his abdomen appears & through muscle contractions he pushes out the juveniles. This, however, is not the only specialized thing about them. They have specialized structures within their skin cells that are called chromatophores. This allows them to change colour in order to mimic their surroundings. They are able to do this seemingly at will. Sea horses lack teeth, instead having a long snout that they use to vacuum prey into their throats. This is why they can only consume very small edibles. They also lack a stomach & have an incredibly unique digestive tract which is only found in sea horses. The way that they digest is that their snout sucks the food in & it disintegrates as it goes through the snout. Due to this, they have to eat continuously to live or they will die of starvation. A sea horse’s anal fin is also on the front of the sea horse, it is near the torso of the sea horse. The male’s pouch so to speak, is just below the anal fin. The gills of the sea horse are located on the side of their head & are shaped like a circle. It is quite noticeable. Their tail is square in bone structure. Their skeleton is a bone structure of interlocking bones. If you look at a Slender Sea Horse’s entire body you will notice that all of it is built in a very similar way besides the skull. The image above depicts a sea horse skeleton replica. Their bones make them not very appealing to crabs as they cannot be gripped onto by crabs’ claws. Their anatomy makes it incredibly hard for them to swim at a fast pace. Their fins do not help with speed at all, and are mostly used by the sea horse to steer. After a long journey, they can die quickly of exhaustion. They also swim upright, unlike any other fish in the ocean. Occasionally, they will use their tail to wrap around seaweed or other types of flora. They have been captured by humans & are friendly towards humans. Sea horses all evolved from pipefish-like species. This can be seen due in that there is a present genome in them that is found in almost every pipefish species. Their phylum is Chordata meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics. All species under the phylum of Chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either in adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail. Their class is Actinopterygii, which means that they are ray-finned fish. This also means that their actinopterygian fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements. Their order is Syngnathiformes. This is an order of ray-skinned fishes that includes trumpetfish & sea horses. A characteristic of being categorized under this order is that their bodies are narrow & surrounded by a series of bony rings. Another characteristic is their long tubular mouths. Their family is Syngathidae. This is a family of sea horses & pipefish. A characteristic of them is their elongated snout. Another characteristic is that they lack pelvic fins. Their genus is Hippocampus. A feature that is found in all of them is their bone structure leaves them in an upright position. Hippocampus is one of the genuses that make up the family of Syngathidae. Directories / References https://www.diveagainstdebris.org/blog/scuba-st-lucia/aug-06-16/seahorse-mania https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/hippocampus-reidi/ https://seahorse.com/topic/how-smart-are-these-creatures/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/seahorses https://www.theseahorsetrust.org/seahorse-facts/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4778478/ ThoughtCohttps://www.thoughtco.com › longs...Facts About the Longsnout or Slender Seahorse https://www.iucn-seahorse.org › iuc...Global IUCN Red List Assessments https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34331361/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/gallery/see-a-male-seahorse-give-birth/ https://www.seacoastsciencecenter.org/2016/06/19/seahorses-super-dads-sea/ https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/seahorse.html https://www.google.com/amp/s/poseidonsweb.com/seahorse-anatomy-differences-way-beyond-cute/amp/ Strategic Partnerships Reel Guppy Outdoors Our Loyal Patrons Ms. Ochoa

The Persaud Foundation is a marine biology nonprofit organization, based in the United States. Our goals are to protect the ocean through education, conservation, & public involvement. The Persaud Foundation The Persaud Foundation The Persaud Foundation The Persaud Foundation We are a U.S 501(c)3 marine biological nonprofit organization, dedicated to protecting the ocean through education, conservation, & public involvement. We currently run an electronic newsletter called The Persaud Catalog , publish online courses about marine biology, & conduct local conservation & education events in Southern California. The Three Pillars Of Our Organization Our Online Courses: We believe in promoting ocean literacy, supporting the ocean through education, and fostering people's oceanic curiosity. For this reason, in August 2024, we officially launched our first course. We currently have ten courses available, with two more under construction. Every course can be found here. For updates, please sign up for our mailing list! Our Electronic Newsletter: For those who wish to advance their marine biological knowledge, we publish an electronic marine biological newsletter approximately 5 times per month. We publish on a variety of topics within marine biology, from ecology to individual ocean creatures. We strive to have an article for everyone, & attract marine biological enthusiasts, professionals in the field, & all those with a curious mind. Each article can be found here. Our Public Conservation Events & Public Educational Events: We frequently conduct conservation events in California, such as Beach Cleanups. We cannot do this without people like you! To find out the closest beach cleanup, please consult our Events Calendar. We appreciate each & every volunteer that we get, & highly recommend getting involved if you want to make a difference. If you are interested in volunteering with us, please email us at thepersaudfoundation@gmail.com or consult our Eventbrite page. In addition to this, we currently conduct local oceanic education events, which can also be found on our calendar. Reach Out To Us! Name Email Subject Message Upload File Upload supported file (Max 15MB) Submit Thank you for submitting! We willl respond to your message as soon as possible. What exactly does your organization do & what is its mission? We are dedicated to raising ocean literacy, protecting the ocean through education, conservation, & public involvement. As of 2024, we operate a marine biological science communication newsletter “The Persaud Catalog”, published approximately 5 times per month, a marine biological online course program, & we conduct public marine biological conservation events in California. We are a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, based in the U.S. What exactly are your online courses? We believe in protecting the ocean through conservation, & education. Education about the sea is essential to conservation, as people cannot understand the needs of the sea & its creatures if they do not understand our ocean & its creatures. We currently offer 10 online courses , with 2 more under construction and scheduled for release soon. Our courses vary in topic; however, they typically discuss marine creatures, as people cannot understand the needs of these marine animals if they do not understand the marine animals in the first place. Our online courses can be found here. What is the benefit of reading your newsletter? Our newsletter, The Persaud Catalog, publishes approximately 5 times per month, with topics of articles ranging from individual marine animals, to how marine resources were used in different areas historically. In addition, we conduct interviews with marine scientists, ocean ecologists, conservationists, & science communicators alike to share the beauty, value, & wonder of the ocean & marine science with as many people as possible. We work our hardest to provide interesting, informative, & engaging articles to our supporters. Each of our articles can be found in the articles tab of our website, or to search for a specific article or topic, please use our navigational bar. What is the Santa Monica Marine Fauna Survey Program? Our Santa Monica Marine Fauna Survey is a program designed to showcase the beauty of Santa Monica Bay, encourage more residents of the area to take an interest in their marine life, & provide a comprehensive list of the marine life in Santa Monica Bay. Anyone who wishes to support this project is encouraged to submit photographs here , where one of our staff or volunteers will process them, then use them to create a web entry on this page . Do you have an Oceanic Question or Question About our Nonprofit / Newsletter? Email Us & We’ll Get Back To You As Soon As Possible. Reach Out To Us

The Persaud Foundation is always looking for partnerships with other scientific organizations, student organziations, volunteer groups, nonprofit organizations, & newsletters. To discuss a potential collaboration, please email thepersaudfoundation@gmail.com. Partnerships & Partnership Opportunities The Persaud Foundation is always looking for partnerships with other scientific organizations, student organizations, volunteer groups, & newsletters. These organizations, or groups, assist us in a variety of ways, & support, as well as assist us in our mission to protect the ocean through conservation, education & public involvement. To discuss a potential collaboration, please email us at thepersaudcatalog@gmail.com . A few of our current partner organizations, groups, or podcasts are listed below, & at the end of all of our articles. We also partner with businesses such as restaurants, & bookstores, who are looking to find ways to support the planet.

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