Short-snouted Seahorse Hippocampus hippocampus

The Short-snouted Seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) is the smaller of Britain’s two seahorse species, lacking the cirri of its longer-snouted relative and associated with sheltered, shallow coastal habitats including estuaries, seagrass beds, and weedy inshore areas. Suffolk’s estuaries and sheltered coastal waters fall within the recorded range of this species, and occasional sightings and strandings are noted along the county’s coast. Both British seahorse species are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Sightings should be reported to The Seahorse Trust, and the restoration and protection of seagrass habitats in Suffolk’s shallow waters would benefit this delicate species. Image: © Hans Hillewaert, Flickr.

Find out more: Suffolk Wildlife Trust, iNaturalist, Marine Life Information Centre