Unique Cousins of the Seahorse

Also called the common seadragon, the weedy seadragon is one of the most unique looking in the seahorse family. With a very long thin snout and a slender trunk covered in bony, brightly colored rings, common seadragons differ from seahorses in that their thin tails cannot be used for gripping. Therefore, they are oftentimes found happily drifting along with the current like a piece of seaweed. Weedy seadragons are usually reddish brown in color with yellow spots. Their most unique feature is the small leaf-like appendages growing out from their body that resemble seaweed and help them to camouflage well.

Unlike its cousin the seahorse, which is fairly widely distributed, it is endemic to Australia and is only found along the southern shores of Australia where the Eastern Indian, Southern, and Southwestern Pacific Oceans meet. If you want to scuba dive with weedy seadragons, plan your dive trip to Australia by checking out the most popular dive sites where these interesting animals are found on the map below.