Pregnant male sea dragon at UCSD’s Birch Aquarium might produce bounty of babies

Sea Dragons are a magnificent species that always brings a sense of awe around them at aquariums. They are closely related to the sea horse but sport unique, appendages that make look like seaweed. Sea Dragons may bring a lot of attention to visitors at the aquarium but also brings more work to the aquarists since they are historically a more difficult species to care for and has a short life span.

The weedy sea dragon parents swim together at the Birch Aquarium Tuesday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

This is why the recent news from UCSD’s Birch Aquarium is so exciting and momentous. Last week, the aquarium announced that they were able to coax a female Weedy Sea Dragon into transferring a large number of eggs to one of the males on display. This male is now carrying 100 pink eggs and can potentially give birth. This would be a first for the aquarium and a large scientific achievement. The goal would be to aquaculture the Weedy Sea Dragon in captivity to reduce the quantities being harvested from the wild. Cultivating the Sea Dragon is a lot of trial and error because it is difficult to mimic their wild environments and ensure that the babies are getting proper nutrition. This is a big achievement that the Birch Aquarium should be proud of and we are looking forward to hearing how these babies hatch. To learn more please go to The San Diego Union Tribune’s article at https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/story/2023-01-11/pregnant-male-sea-dragon-birch-aquarium