AnimalsA seahorse is a fish with a horse-shaped head. It swims upright and holds on to plants with its curling tail. Unusually, the male carries the eggs in a pouch until they hatch.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Hippocampus erectus
- Group
- Fish
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- Western Atlantic Ocean
- Habitat
- Seagrass beds and coasts
- A young one is called
- fry
- A group is called
- herd
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
- Order Syngnathiformes
- Family Syngnathidae
- Genus Hippocampus
- Species Hippocampus erectus
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The lined seahorse is listed as Vulnerable. The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.