what to know
- Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego in La Jolla
- The “first successful transfer of eggs from a female seadragon to a male” occurred in the aquarium’s “Seadragons & Seahorses” habitat overnight on Jan. 8-9
- The transfer, an “extremely rare” occurrence for seadragons in captivity, means little seadragons may hatch in four to six weeks; the egg-carrying male weedy seadragon will be on view at the habitat for at least the next few weeks
THE MYSTERIES OF THE OCEAN… are as numerous and constant as the waves that wash ashore, and diving into every enigmatic event can truly delight an ocean-loving landlubber throughout her whole landlubbing life. But few fanciful facts emerging from the Big Water are as endlessly engaging as the following fanciful fact: Male seadragons famously carry eggs through to hatching, once a female seadragon successfully transfers those eggs. You could use the term “gravid” to describe this male seadragon, though plenty of people go for “pregnant” to describe this amazing, eons-old phenomenon. And that incredibly credible phenomenon just happened again, much to the delight of Birch Aquarium staff members, in La Jolla, when a female weedy seadragon transferred a considerable clutch of eggs to a male weedy seadragon in the “Seadragons & Seahorses” habitat, a first for the Scripps institution.
AT “EXTREMELY RARE” EVENT: “We’re elated to be able to witness this at the aquarium. It’s extremely rare for seadragons to breed in captivity so this is a monumental milestone for all of our staff,” said Jenn Nero Moffatt, Senior Director of Animal Care, Science and Conservation.”We have been working with seadragons since 1996. Since then, we have learned so much about caring for these creatures and invested a lot in our breeding program. From the lighting to the rockwork; everything has been strategically designed with breeding seadragons in mind.” The male seadragon will carry the brightly hued eggs for four to six weeks “until they are ready to hatch.” Viewing the expectant parent? You can, by visiting the habitat during January 2023 , though he may move off-view when the hatching date grows nearer.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps | Photo: Jordan Tomasek
A “COURTSHIP DANCE”… leads to the egg transference between seadragons, with some ballet-like movements, “snout-to-snout” spins, and other elegant actions revealing that the important moment is underway. Once the eggs have been transferred, the male fertilizes them and prepares for his majorly important multi-week role: Carry the eggs through to their ultimate hatch date. As for the Birch Aquarium’s pregnant seadragon? He’s under the “close eye” of the aquarium’s Animal Husbandry team. As for visiting the destination’s celebrated “Seadragons & Seahorses” habitat? Every lover of the ocean is encouraged to do so: It’s “one of the largest in the world,” and a feast for the eye, mind, and imagination, whether you happen to spy the celebrated parent-to-be in the coming weeks or not.
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