Big-Belly Seahorse Babies Born at the Georgia Aquarium Are Smaller Than the End of a Pencil

The big-belly seahorses, also known as Hippocampus abdominalis, at the Georgia Aquarium recently had babies, or fry. For comparison, the small fry pictured is even tinier than the end of a pencil.

The Georgia Aquarium explains why it breeds big-belly seahorses:

Coral reefs and sea grass beds, which are primary real-estate for seahorses, is quickly deteriorating, and therefore reducing viable habitats for seahorses. By being able to reproduce this animal in-house, we are able to educate the public about the declining numbers of seahorses without having to directly obtain these animals from the wild. Georgia Aquarium is also in a position to donate these animals to other aquariums and spread the message of conservation.

via ZooBorns