Lined Seahorse

Seahorse

Hippocampus erectus

Size: to 6"

Habitat: Weedy protected shore waters.

Notes:

Look for Seahorses in still weedy areas, where they cling to plants and objects with their prehensile tails. Color and body form are highly variable, as these masters of camouflage adapt to their surroundings. Strays may be found at sea, or even washed up on the beach.

Locomotion is accomplished by fluttering the dorsal and pectoral fins, and they are extremely weak swimmers, utterly unable to buck a current. Males have a brood pouch where they incubate the eggs, then give birth to fully-formed miniature copies of themselves. Seahorses feed on plankton, which they suck up with their tubular snouts, making a distinct popping sound. They are tolerant of brackish water, but not fresh.


Artifacts recovered after long immersion in salt or freshwater require conservation treatment if they are to last. On exposure to high concentrations of oxygen in the air, iron artifacts will bloom into piles of rust. Wood will crack and split if dried out improperly. Organic materials will crumble to dust.

The manual below details conservation methods for many types of materials and artifacts.

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