With the whimsy and heart of The Soul of an Octopus and the surprising details of the very best
science writing The Curious World of Seahorses brilliantly captures the ocean's most
charismatic and mysterious inhabitant. When God created the seahorse says one marine biologist
he may have had one too many. Of all the creatures in the ocean there are none more charming
and magical-or more strange-than the seahorses. Masters of disguise graceful dancers and
romantic lovers seahorses are found not only in the seagrass meadows and mangroves of the
world but also throughout the annals of human history and culture-surfacing everywhere from
chess and Greek mythology to Disney movies like The Little Mermaid and Pokémon games. Equipped
with a pouch like a kangaroo a long snout like an anteater and complete with a crown unique
as a human fingerprint the seahorse defies easy categorization. The only fish to swim in an
upright position seahorses are terrible swimmers but they make up for it with an incredible
talent for holding onto seagrass or coral. They have no stomach or teeth-only intestines. Most
seahorses are monogamous and meet with their life partner every few weeks to perform a dance
that can last up to nine hours. The most unique aspect of the seahorse is their reproductive
cycle as it is the male of the species who becomes pregnant. In this entertaining and
informative book science writer Till Hein shares the most tantalizing findings from the world
of seahorses and the role they have played in human culture. He reveals their secrets from
their intriguing biological features and hunting strategy to their use in medicine throughout
history their appearances in Greek and Celtic mythology and even the medieval belief that
they descended from dragons. Endlessly fascinating and charmingly approachable The Curious
World of Seahorses will captivate any reader looking to learn more about one of the most
incredible creatures on Earth.
