Hippocampus hippocampus

Short-snouted seahorse

Conservation status
Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gasterosteiformes
Family:	Syngnathidae
Genus:	Hippocampus
Species:	H. hippocampus
Binomial name
*Hippocampus hippocampus* (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758 Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, in Leach & Nodder, 1814 Hippocampus antiquus Risso, 1827 Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822 Hippocampus europaeus Ginsburg, 1933 Hippocampus heptagonus Rafinesque, 1810 Hippocampus pentagonus Ginsburg, 1937 Hippocampus vulgaris Cloquet, 1821

The short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) is a species of seahorse in the family Syngnathidae. It is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the North Atlantic, particularly around Italy and the Canary Islands. Colonies of the species have recently been discovered in the River Thames around London and Southend-on-Sea.

Their preferred habitat is shallow muddy waters, estuaries or seagrass beds.

In the United Kingdom they are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In 2010, the London Zoo, which operates short-snouted seahorse breeding programme, saw the birth of 918 baby seahorses.