Miniature Stallions Of The Sea

Denise's Pygmy Seahorse

The oceans are usually associated with organisms so enormous that they would put an elephant to shame. But some organisms are so small that they almost always go unnoticed. Pygmy seahorses fit in to the latter category. They are similar to regular seahorses but a few morphological differences and their size sets them apart. Pygmy seahorses can be as small as 1.4 cm. The largest ones are around 2.7 cm in length. So its not surprising that most pygmy seahorse species were discovered only in the 21st century. Unlike the bigger seahorses, pygmy seahorses are found in tropical coral reefs, usually in association with certain corals. A species called Bargibant's pygmy seahorse is very particular about it’s habitat. It spends it’s entire adult life anchored to a single coral. This species is exceedingly specific about the type of coral it chooses. It is always found on Gorgonian corals of the species Muricella paraplectana or Muricella plectana. Some Pygmy seahorses are more accepting of other species of corals. Denise’s pygmy seahorses can be found on several types of Gorgonian corals. These seahorses assume the appearance of the coral they live on, at a very young age. The young of this species, like all other pygmy seahorse species, are released from the male’s brood pouch with considerable force. They are carried away by the current and feed while floating, till they grow. They then settle down on a coral and their dark-coloured bodies change and flaunt more vibrant hues. They not only change colour but also texture, growing bumps or projections on their bodies, donning a new look, to match the corals they will spend the rest of their lives on. Not all pygmy seahorses prefer corals as their home. A species called Pontoh’s pygmy seahorse is seen in pairs or small groups on calcareous algae. The smallest species of seahorse, Satomi's pygmy seahorse, is extremely challenging to find, not only because of it's size but also because it is nocturnal. This also makes it hard to study their behaviour. There is still so much that is not known about Pygmy seahorses. There may be several more species, hidden in the sea, evading discovery. They may be difficult to find but it would, undeniably, be worth the effort. 

Bargibant's Pygmy Seahorse

A Thousand Tiny Tunicates

A Single Salp

There are several transparent and translucent organisms that dwell in the ocean. This transparency helps them blend in with the surroundings and hide from predators. Some are too inconspicuous to be noticed when alone, like the tunicates, Salps. Though they are quite abundantly found in oceans, not many people know about these tiny, transparent creatures. They have small, crystal clear, sac-like bodies with openings at both ends. Though they resemble jellyfish, these salps are actually ancestors of vertebrates, like fish, and even have a heart, gills and a vascular system. In the larval form, they have a primitive backbone, eye and a hollow brain.  They contract their sac-like bodies, taking in water through one end and expelling it out the other. This water, before being dismissed from their bodies, is filtered for food like phytoplankton. Sometimes these salps travel and feed alone and sometimes they form huge colonies by linking themselves to other Salps. Each salp, depending on the species, can grow up to a length of a few inches but Salp colonies can extend up to fifteen feet in length. Some species even exhibit bioluminescence and their colonies appear like long, glowing chains in the oceans. Large salp colonies indicate to fishermen, the presence of Pomfret and Herring as these prized fish feed on them. Salps are significantly more abundant where there are phytoplankton blooms. Large colonies voraciously devour the copious amounts of phytoplankton. The salps even bud off clones of themselves to partake in the feast. They are believed to be the fastest growing multicellular organism because of their ability to clone themselves. Since Salps are filter feeders, they feed on even the tiniest diatoms and protozoa. Scientists find it hard to trap such minute organisms to study. So now biologists catch salps and study the contents of their stomach instead, to get to the microscpoic creatures. These tiny salps are used to catch even smaller organisms. Salps, though small, have a major impact on the ocean’s carbon cycle. When salps die after a bloom, billions of their bodies, along with their faecal pellets, carry colossal amounts of carbon to the ocean floor. So these inconspicuous, unfamiliar, tiny creatures could be affecting a massive global phenomenon like climate change. 

Salp Colony