GA aquarium horses video

[Cyclura]

Hi guys,

my trip to the georgia aquarium back in october was frought with awesome animals, but not until just recently have i stumbled upon this video i took of two seahorses locking tails and "dancing" in their exhibit tank. Is this mating behavior and what species am i looking at? i was thinking H. abdominalis???

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/geckoguy14/th_MOV01216.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/geckoguy14/?action=view&current=MOV01216.flv)

[JustDavidP]

What time of day was it? Each morning, the "mated pair" finds each other and will lock tails, dance, and acknowledge each other before they go about their daily routine of hunting and such.

Their courtship rituals do involve elaborate dances, tail locking, rising and falling in the water column, inflation of the male's pouch and then an egg transfer.

At the end of the movie, the fish on the right is the male. They surely are interacting, but it is too short a clip to tell whether or not it was a mating dance. Also, sorry to say, I can't tell what species they are from this movie. Maybe Kevin or Gwen, who go to the aquarium often, know this display and can tell you.

Dave

[Seahorsedreams]

That's two males "fighting". My erectus boys showed aggression like that all the time. See how they are tucking their chins in to their chest and kind of curving their heads towards the other? They are not abdominalis, but I'm not sure what they are without a clear shot of their coronet.

[JustDavidP]

Whooo hooo... Duke it out boys!

[gwen_o_lyn]

I just listened to the podcast for that exhibit and it doesn't say the species. Maybe Kevin knows?

The website mentions they have H. Reidi, but I'm not sure what's in the video.

[JustDavidP]

*wavin* Hi Gwennie

[Seahorsedreams]

Someone took a pic from that aquarium that was posted in another thread.

The other pic was a reidi, so I'm assuming these are too.