A snake pipefish at Weymouth Sea Life Park has surprised aquarists when they found it to be carrying eggs.

Having three snake pipefish in the display meant that breeding was a possibility but, after moving into the new tank in Nursery at the Park, a pair was swift to make themselves ‘at home!’ The snake pipefish, along with other types of pipefish, seahorses and seadragons belong to the sygnathid family. As a member of this family it is the male who actually carries the eggs until they hatch.

Displays Supervisor Kico Iraola said: “Although they don’t have a pouch like seahorses to carry the eggs, they attach them to their ventral side until they hatch, which usually takes a couple of weeks. We will then feed the babies tiny plankton from birth.”

The snake pipefish camouflages very well in seaweed meadows. These areas are in high regression in the wild because of human interaction, similarly to seahorses and seadragons. The tank at the park is full of seaweed which the pipefish like to coil around.

Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park houses 17 broadnose pipefish and only three snake pipefish. Male pipefish grow up to 40 cm with females growing up to 60 cm.

Breeding them successfully on site will lead to a rise in their population meaning more stock will be able to be shared for this fascinating breed within Sea Life; educating guests about their declining environments and what they can do to help.

Weymouth Sea Life will be moving the babies once they are born, behind the scenes so they can be nurtured until they are large enough to settle on display at the Park; or Sea Life wide.