• Question: why do male seahorses get pregnant?

    Asked by 7sandc1 to David, Luna, Mark, Probash on 23 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: David Pyle

      David Pyle answered on 23 Mar 2011:

      They don’t get pregnant – they just carry the fertilised eggs. Seems like a good idea to me!

    • Photo: Probash Chowdhury

      Probash Chowdhury answered on 23 Mar 2011:

      Male seahorses only carry the fertilised eggs. I think this is a defence mechanism because all predators expect the mother to be carrying them, but if anything should happen to her, the offspring are safely with the father.

    • Photo: Luna Munoz

      Luna Munoz answered on 23 Mar 2011:

      Although male seahorses get pregnant (or carry the eggs really), they are not unlike males from other species. The males still ‘strut’ around females and fight each other to gain access to females. All that just for the privilege to have the pain of childbirth!

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