Animals Gallery

Newborn seahorse, SEM

Newborn seahorse. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a young seahorse (Hippocampus sp.). The seahorse is a fish that swims upright using its pectoral fins (upper right) and dorsal fin (lower centre). A young seahorse develops in one of hundreds of eggs that the female deposits in the male's pouch. The eggs hatch after 2-6 weeks. A seahorse sucks up tiny shrimps, fish larvae and tiny crustaceans through its tube-like mouth (upper centre). It can moor itself to plants or coral using its prehensile tail (lower left). Seahorses range in length from 2-40 centimetres, inhabiting temperate and tropical seas worldwide. Magnification: x20 at 6x7cm size

© STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Seahorse

Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus), swimming underwater. This species is native to UK and European coasts. It is being bred at Seahorse Ireland, the world's first seahorse farm. The farm uses large water tanks with constantly circulating water are used and the seahorses fed on a diet of plankton and algae. Seahorse Ireland supplies animals to the aquarium trade and is developing technology that enable farmers in far and South- East Asia to conserve local stocks. Female seahorses produce up to 2, 000 eggs, which are transferred to the male's brood pouch for fertilisation and incubation. Many species are endangered through overfishing for the aquarium and traditional Chinese medicine trades

© LOUISE MURRAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Galapagos land iguana

Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus). This lizard is endemic to the Galapagos Islands, inhabiting the drier areas. Cacti are its main food source and also provide it with the majority of its water intake. In the morning it basks in the Sun to raise its body temperature, but generally prefers shady areas during the hotter parts of the day. It sleeps in a burrow, which helps to conserve its body heat. The land iguana used to exist in vast numbers on the islands, but the arrival of humans led to a severe reduction in its numbers. Photographed on South Plaza Island, Galapagos Islands

© STEVE ALLEN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY