Page 6 - COBH EDITION 1st MARCH DIGITAL VERSION.indd

Seahorses unbridled at Fota Wildlife Park

Fota Wildlife Park today announced the arrival of 12 Pot-bellied seahorses, (Hippocam-
pus abdominalis), to the Tropical House at the 100-acre Park. The 12 seahorses came to
the iconic Co. Cork visitor attraction from L’
Oceanográfic in Valencia, Spain on the 10th
of January and are made up of seven males
and five females, and this is the first time
seahorses have lived at Fota Wildlife Park. The
Pot-bellied seahorse is one of the largest types
of seahorse in the world averaging about 12
inches in length.

Animal Care Manager, Miguel Bueno said “We
are delighted to be able to exhibit seahorses
for the first time at Fota Wildlife Park. Sea-
horses are hugely popular with the public as
these animals are so unique and unusual and their distinctive characteristics totally set
them apart from other fish. However, it’s because of this that they are currently under
threat as the Curio Trade takes approximately one million sea horses from the wild to sell
as souvenirs. The Traditional Chinese medical trade also takes in excess of 150 million
yearly from the wild for use in all types of remedies. It is apt that we are announcing the
arrival of the seahorses on Valentine’s Day as they pair for life – however these 12 sea-
horses are very young – only one year old so they as yet have to reach sexual maturity.
We hope to breed these Pot-bellied seahorses once they do reach adulthood.” He contin-
ued: “We have created a seaweed habitat in an aquarium especially designed for their
needs which is set at a temperature of 17°C. Even though there are 12 of them, their
camouflage is so effective our visitors will need to allow some time to spot them.”
The Pot-bellied seahorse lives in a range of habitats from shallow areas of seagrass to
deeper sponge gardens. It is found in both Australia and New Zealand. They feed on a
variety of small crustaceans that are mainly found around their sea weed habitats. They
use their snout to be able to take in food and to swallow it in one piece. They can’t con-
sume food that is larger than their snout.

Male seahorses are the only creatures where the male has a true reversed pregnancy.
The female transfers her eggs to the male which he self-fertilises in his pouch. The
number of eggs can vary from 50-150 for smaller species to 1500 for larger species.They
receive everything they need in the pouch from oxygen to food. Gestation time varies
from 14 days to 4 weeks. Giving birth can be a long process with contractions lasting up
to 12 hours.

The Tropical House at Fota Wildlife Park was opened in June 2014 and was funded by
SECAD (South & East Cork Area Development). The Tropical House is home to reptiles,
amphibians, butterflies, exotic fish and a state-of-the-art veterinary facility which allows
for injured or sick animals to be treated onsite at Fota Wildlife Park.
Fota Wildlife Park is also extremely saddened to announce the passing of their oldest
male Rothschild’s giraffe -Wally, aged 18, who died suddenly on the 12th February. He
was part of the Fota herd for eight years and is survived by four female offspring and
was greatly loved by Rangers and public alike.