The Broadnosed Pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) is a small marine (saltwater) fish in the Syngnathidae family of seahorses, pipefish, and seadragons.
The Broadnosed Pipefish looks like a thin, straight seahorse or a small sea snake. It is an elongated, long, tube-like, cyclindrical fish with a greenish colour and a yellowish belly. Its flattened snout (nose) is a long tube ending in a narrow mouth which opens upwards and is toothless. It has a fan-shaped caudal fin. It has small gill openings, called slits, which enable it to breathe underwater.
It grows to about 15-20 centimetres (6-8 inches) in length.
It is found in coastal tropical and temperate coral reefs in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. It likes to swim in seagrass.
The Broadnosed Pipefish feeds on small prawns.
The female lays eggs, but the male looks after the eggs and the young. The male has a brood pouch that holds the eggs. The young swim and feed immediately after they hatch.
Location of photographs: Aquarium de Paris-Cinéaqua
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM