All species

Currently, we recognize 46 species of seahorse.
Browse the list to learn more about these fabulous fish.

Photo by Matt Testoni / Guylian Seahorses of the World

Other common names:  Pot-bellied seahorse

Range: Australia & New Zealand

Size: up to 35 cm (13.8 in)

Red List status: Least Concern

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Photo by Remy Dubas on iNaturalist

Range: West Africa

Size: up to 19 cm (7.5 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Photo by Alex Hoschke on iNaturalist

Other common names:  western Australian seahorse, western spiny seahorse

Range: Northern Australia

Size: up to 16 cm (6.3 in)

Red List status: Least Concern

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Photo by Richard Smith / OceanRealmImages.com

Range: Indo-Pacific

Size: up to 15 cm (5.9 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Photo by Tom Van Hout / Guylian SOTW

Range: Indo-Pacific

Size: Up to 2.4 – 2.7 cm (0.9 – 1.1 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Paul Sorensen on iNaturalist

Other common names:  knobby seahorse,  short-headed seahorse,  short-snouted seahorse

Range: Southern Australia

Size: up to 10 cm (3.9 in)

Red List status: Least Concern

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Photo by Pedro Ferreira / Guylian SOTW

Range: Western Indian Ocean

Size: up to 10 cm (3.9 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Dave Harasti

Other common name: Cape seahorse

Range: Southern Africa

Size: up to 12 cm (4.7 in)

Red List status: Endangered

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Range: China

Size: up to 13.3 cm (5.2 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Ray Lee on iNaturalist

Range: Indo-Pacific

Size: up to 2.6 cm (1 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Tsu Soo Tan on iNaturalist

Range: Southeast Asia

Size: up to 18.7 cm (7.4 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Other common name:  high-crowned seahorse

Range: Japan & South Korea

Size: up to 12.7 cm (8.7 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Caron Wong / Guylian SOTW

Range: Northern & Eastern Australia

Size: up to 22 cm (8.7 in)

Red List status: Least Concern

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Range: Red Sea

Size: up to 2.4 cm (0.9 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by jackmckee50 on iNaturalist

Range: Indo-Pacific

Size: up to 2.1 – 2.4 cm (0.8 – 0.9 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Pauline Walsh / iNaturalist

Other common names:  northern seahorse,  spotted seahorse

Range: Western Atlantic

Size: up to 19 cm (7.5 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Other common name:  Hawaiian seahorse

Range: Pacific (Hawaii)

Size: up to 8 cm (3.1 in)

Red List status:  Least Concern

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Photo by Fernando Quintela Lens / Guylian SOTW

Other common name:  spiny seahorse

Range: Europe & Mediterranean

Size: up to 18 cm (7.1 in)

Red List status:  Data Deficient

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Photo by Jinggong Zhang / Guylian SOTW

Range: Korea & Japan

Size: up to 11.4 cm (4.5 in)

Red List status: Not Evaluated

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Photo by Janny Bosman / Guylian SOTW

Range: Mediterranean, W. Atlantic

Size: up to 15 cm (5.9 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Bettina Balnis / Guylian SOTW

Other common name:  spiny seahorse

Range: W. Indian Ocean to Central Pacific

Size: up to 17 cm (6.7 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Photo by Joshua Feingold / Guylian SOTW

Other common name:  giant seahorse

Range: California to Peru (Pacific Ocean)

Size: up to 31 cm (12.2 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Photo by Richard Smith / OceanRealmImages.com

Other common name:  Japanese pygmy seahorse

Range: Japan

Size: up to 1.6 cm (0.6 in)

Red List status: Not Evaluated

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Photo by Herwig Helsen / Guylian SOTW

Range: Red Sea to Pakistan

Size: up to 14 cm (5.5 in)

Red List status: Least Concern

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Range: Australia

Size: up to 4.4 cm (1.7 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by John van Lent / Guylian SOTW

Other common name:  Kellogg’s seahorse

Range: Indo-Pacific to E. Africa to China & Australia

Size: up to 28 cm (11 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Photo by Bruno Van Saen / Guylian SOTW

Other common names:  common seahorse, estuary seahorse, yellow seahorse, spotted seahorse

Range: Indo-Pacific to E. Africa to China & Australia

Size: up to 17 cm (6.7 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Range: S. Australia

Size: up to 5 cm (2 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by “tedddy00” on iNaturalist

Other common name: lemur-tail seahorse

Range: Japan & Korea to Thailand

Size: up to 8 cm (3.2 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Photo by Pedro Ferreira / Guylian SOTW

Range: South Africa

Size: up to 2.2 cm (0.9 in)

Red List status: Not Evaluated

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Range: Indo-Pacific to E. Africa to China & Australia

Size: up to 6.5 cm (2.6 in)

Red List status: Data deficient

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Patagonian seahorse
Photo by Diego Luzzatto

Range: Brazil to Argentina

Size: up to 10.3 cm (4.1 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Range: Australia

Size: up to 22 cm (8.7 in)

Red List status: Least Concern

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Ortwin Khan / Guylian SOTW

Other common name: Pontoh’s pygmy seahorse

Range: Indo-Pacific

Size: up to 1.7 cm (0.7 in)

Red List status: Least Concern

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Other common name: dwarf thorny seahorse

Range: New Caledonia

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Luc Eeckhaut / Guylian SOTW

Other common name: longsnout seahorse

Range: North Carolina (USA) to Brazil

Size: up to 17.5 cm (6.9 in)

Red List status: Near Threatened

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Photo by Barbara Moll / Guylian SOTW

Other common name: Satomi’s pygmy seahorse

Range: Indo-Pacific

Size: up to 1.4 cm (0.6 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Jason Bell / Guylian SOTW

Other common names: Shiho’s seahorse, painted seahorse

Range: Japan

Size: up to 8 cm (3.2 in)

Red List status: Least Concern

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Photo by Volker Lonz / Guylian SOTW

Other common name: Queensland seahorse

Range: Indo-Pacific

Size: up to 17.2 cm (6.8 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Photo by Dawn Mullins / Guylian SOTW

Range: W. Australia

Size: up to 20 cm (7.9 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Dan Schofield

Other common names: flat-faced seahorse, longnose seahorse, low-crowned seahorse

Range: Indo-Pacific

Size: up to 17 cm (6.7 in)

Red List status: Vulnerable

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Range: Seychelles

Size: up to 6.1 cm (2.4 in)

Red List status: Data Deficient

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Photo by Reto Pieren

Other common name: Walea pygmy seahorse

Range: Indonesia

Size: up to 1.8 cm (0.7 in)

Red List status: Not Evaluated

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Photo by Dave Harasti

Other common names: New Holland seahorse, Sydney seahorse

Range: Solomon Islands, E. Australia

Size: up to 13 cm (5.1 in)

Red List status: Endangered

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Photo by Anthony Healy

Range: Australia

Red List status: Data Deficient

Size: up to 9.4 cm (3.7 in)

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Photo by Kent Miller

Range: Gulf of Mexico

Size: up to 2.5 cm (1 in)

Red List status: Least Concern

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[Updated 22 February 2022]

[Updated 3 February 2022]