Have you ever seen these beautiful animals before? Weedy sea dragons can be found in shallow waters among the kelp forests and reefs of southern and western Australia down to the southern tip of Tasmania. These slow, graceful swimmers use their olive green, yellow, purple and blue coloration combined with their leaf-like appendages to camouflage themselves among seaweed and sea grass. Do they look familiar to you? They should. Look closer. Do you recognize that long, trumpet-like snout? Sea dragons are related to sea horses and pipe fish. What else do they have in common? Male sea dragons also give birth to their young. The female will lay 250-300 eggs onto the soft bottom of the male’s tail where he will hold and protect them until they hatch.

Come visit the weedy sea dragons in addition to the bay pipe fish and leafy sea dragons in our Cold Water Quest gallery to see them in action. Don’t be surprised if you have to stop and look twice to find them. They have mastered the art of camouflage.

• Weedy sea dragons swim horizontally with their abdomen facing the bottom.
• It uses its tube-like snout like a drinking straw to suck up its food.
• The color and style of leafy appendages depend on factors like food supply.
• When they hatch, the juvenile sea dragons are basically in the form of an adult.
• Weedy sea dragons from deep-water habitats tend to be less leafy and brighter in color.

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