When Meagan Abele and Clayton Manning were off the coast of Little Beach in Nelson Bay, NSW, Australia, they noticed a pregnant male H. Whitei seahorse. They were there with a conservation group called the Project Seahorse in order to conduct some research and they were able to catch the delivery of the baby via their GoPro.
The footage is really fascinating! It is certainly not something you see every day, and they were particularly excited to have this amazing opportunity to see the birth of a seahorse.
Unlike other species, male seahorses carry the baby rather than the females, though they don’t make the eggs themselves. The female sets her eggs inside her male’s pouch and he fertilizes the eggs. This pouch regulates temperature, blood flow, and water salinity for the delivery of the baby. Seahorses can deliver from five to more than 1,000 babies at a time, depending on their type.
This seahorse is suspended upright in the water and gives birth to many, many babies in this video. As each one emerges, it just floats away in the water, looking too small and vulnerable to even survive. Amazingly, they do survive, even though they are so small.
What an incredible thing to see. The pouch is just full of babies and the father pushes them out, almost like he’s doing stomach crunches. It’s amazing to see, even on video.
Watch this interesting rare capture below! What did you think about this birth? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
SHARE this amazing video with your friends and family on Facebook. This story is just too amazing to keep to yourself. Share it!
