The Leafy Sea Dragon is a very rare member of the seahorse family (Syngnatidae). They live only in the temperate waters of the south coast of Western Australia and South Australia. These beautiful but illusive creatures thrive where water temperatures range from 12°C to 20°C, and plants rather than hard corals populate the undersea environment. They look look totally different from other seahorses, except for the Weedy Sea Dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus), which also can be found in these same waters. The Leafy Sea Dragon has leaf-like appendages on its snout, head and body. It is extremely well camouflaged among the algae and seaweed. The body is greenish-yellow with white bars, bordered with dull red and the head has distinct white markings which make it a bit easier to see.
The Leafy Sea Dragon is approximately 40 cm (16 inches) long. The female lays between 100 and 350 eggs. They attach them onto a "brood patch" on the underside of the male's tail, where they are fertilized. This "brood patch" consists of small cups that the male develops during the breeding season from August to March. Each cup contains one egg which receives oxygen through the cups' blood vessels. Algae usually grow on the eggs, further camouflaging them. This is necessary because the eggs are a delicacy for many fish. The male carries the eggs for a period of 47 to 50 days, until the mini sea dragons emerge. Aquarium observations show that for the first two or three days the babies are sustained by their yolk sac, then they must hunt small zooplankton. Unfortunately, in the wild, most babies are soon eaten by other fish. It is estimated that only 1-2% survive to maturity.
The habitat of the Leafy Sea Dragon, the sea grass and seaweed areas of Western Australia and South Australia, are under increasing threat from pollution, excessive fertiliser run-off, and poaching. Although sea dragons are "protected" under most states' fisheries legislation, unscrupulous "collectors" catch many of these beautiful creatures for sale to private aquarium owners at exorbitant prices! Many sea dragons die on their way up to the surface, because they can't decompress! In addition, there is virtually no information on population size and the legal and illegal take which makes sensible management of these seahorses virtually impossible (Tony Flaherty, 1996). The pressure for international trade in seahorses and pipefish for the aquarium and Asian "medicine" trade is expanding (Vincent 1996).
  
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