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Evolution and fossil recordAnatomical evidence, supported by molecular, physical, and genetic evidence, demonstrates that seahorses are highly modified pipefish. The fossil record of seahorses, however, is very sparse. The best known and best studied fossils are specimens of Hippocampus guttulatus (though literature more commonly refers to them under the synonym of H. ramulosus), from the…

Seahorses range in size from 1.5 to 35 cm (0.6 to 13.8 in).[13] They are named for their equine appearance, with bent necks and long snouted heads and a distinctive trunk and tail. Although they are bony fish, they do not have scales, but rather thin skin stretched over a series of bony plates, which are arranged in rings throughout their…

Seahorses inhabit shallow tropical and temperate saltwater globally, in areas like seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs, and mangroves. Found in Pacific and Atlantic waters, notable species include H. erectus and H. zosterae. In Europe, colonies exist in the Thames Estuary and the Mediterranean Sea hosts H. guttulatus and H. hippocampus.