Rare Sea Dragon Father
By Wendy Heller, June 14, 2008 @ 02:00 AM (EST)
Source: Nationalgeographic.com
This weedy sea dragon at the Georgia Aquarium has something to celebrate on Father's Day.
He's expecting!
About 70 fertilized eggs (the small, red balls that almost look like grapes in the picture above) are attached to his tail. Dads carry the eggs in this family.
The rare creature is the third of its kind to become "pregnant" in captivity in the United States, according to aquarium officials.
He is expected to give birth in July, said Kerry Gladish, a biologist at the aquarium.
Sea dragons, seahorses and pipefish (see photo) are the only species where the male carries the eggs, Gladish said.
Sea dragon "pregnancies" in captivity are rare because researchers don't know what gets them in the mood to mate...
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