Captivating Camouflage [Seadragon GIFs]

For your daydreaming pleasure, please enjoy these leafy seadragon gifs.


And now that we have your attention, how about some seadragon fun facts. Did you know seadragons are a temperate species? They are not the delicate tropical flowers they seem. The water in their tank is a brisk 58–62˚! Brrrr.



The leafy and weedy seadragons have tiny mouths that open rapidly to suck in their prey. And they are very particular about that prey, in fact—only mysid shrimp is on the menu.



These slow-moving animals rely on those fluttering decorative appendages for camouflage only. To get around, albeit slowly, they use the clear dorsal fin that you see undulating on their back. They also have two smaller fins on either side of their neck.

Leafy seadragon

There are only three species of seadragon on the planet—two of which you can see here at the Aquarium. The leafy (seen here in gif-fy glory) and the weedy are on display in the Seadragon Exhibit of our Temperate Gallery. The third species is the recently-identified ruby seadragon.

Try spotting them among the habitat in their Level 2 exhibit here at the Aquarium. And if you cannot get enough seadragons, check out aquarist Jeremy Brodt's expedition blogs from his trip to seadragon country in Australia.