Larocque 1
Darla Larocque
ENG 115
Peter McGuire
10 Feb. 2013 The Tables Have Turned
Could you imagine what it would be like if a man became pregnant instead of a woman? For most species, this is scientifically impossible, but for the seahorse this imagery is true. The female seahorse is the hunter and protector, while the male is the child-bearers. To better understand their unique way of life, let's discover the journey of pregnancy for the male seahorse.
Procreation begins with a fascinating presentation known as the “courting process;” a mating ritual where the lascivious pair dance before they mate. This process is known to take days and can be very complex. They begin to gracefully swim beside one another, eying each other out, and if interested in what they see, they begin to mirror each others motions; imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The dance is dreamy and passionate, and, when paced just right, their tails entwine as the couple begins to mate. After their tails entwine the female aligns her ovipositor (a long tube in which her eggs travel through) into the male's birthing pouch where he then fertilizes them. The male is pregnant for ten days to six weeks depending on the species and the conditions of the water.
During pregnancy, the female will check up on the male twice a day, bringing him food. Other than these check-ups, the female and male are separate the entire time. While pregnant, the male tests the salinity within his birthing pouch and matches it to the best of his ability to the salinity in his environment; this last step is crucial to the growth and maturity of his offspring. When the time is right, the embryos will hatch and the male will begin to pump his tail until the offspring emerge.

Larocque 2
At last, the offspring have hatched and the male releases the fry (baby seahorses) into the great unknown. The fry are on their own now and their parents will not be there