A pregnant male weedy seadragon that carried dozens of eggs and made history at a California aquarium welcomed more than 70 newborns after there was no guarantee any would hatch.

[–>

Hatching and rearing the “unique species of fish” in captivity is rare, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego said in a March 3 news release.

[–>

“This is an incredible milestone for our team, and we’re still pinching ourselves,” Leslie Luna, a spokesperson for the aquarium, said in an email announcing the newborns’ arrival.

[–>

Leslee Matsushige, an associate curator who began working with seadragons at the aquarium in 1996, echoed the sentiment.

[–>

“This is huge for us. We’ve been working on this for decades,” Matsushige said.

[–>

Jenn Nero Moffatt, senior director of animal care, science and conservation, said the breeding’s success was the result of years of research.

[–>

Such research involved “replicating their natural environment through changes in flow rates, water volume, lighting and water temperature, which are key to influencing their health and successful breeding,” Nero Moffatt said.

[–>

Newborns make long-awaited appearance

[–>

The tiny newborns started making their entrance into the world Sunday, Feb. 26, the aquarium said. The final one made its appearance Thursday, March 2.

[–>

The “baby weedies,” who currently measure about an inch long and weigh less than a gram, will eventually “grow to be 13-15 inches long,” the aquarium said. The species is related to seahorses, according to the aquarium.

[–>

After hatching, the seadragons no longer need their father’s help because they are ready to “feed on their own and fend for themselves,” according to the aquarium.

[–>

“The father’s role protecting the fry is done,” the aquarium said.

[–>

Currently, the wee babes will remain behind the scenes so they can be monitored and fed “a special diet,” the aquarium said.

[–>

“Weedy seadragons are notoriously picky eaters,” the aquarium said. “Their food of choice is tiny mysid shrimp.”

[–>

Weeks of monitoring

[–>

The aquarium said it has been monitoring the father seadragon, “who carried more than 70 eggs on the underside of his tail,” for weeks.

[–>

He was moved from the public side of the aquarium to behind the scenes in mid-February, according to an email to McClatchy News from the aquarium.

[–>

The aquarium first announced the news of its historic pregnant male seadragon in early January, McClatchy News reported.

[–>

At the time, the aquarium said it only expected a “small percentage of eggs” to develop, adding that it was the “first time a seadragon has laid eggs on the public side of the aquarium.”

[–>

In 2020, the aquarium had a seadragon release five eggs “behind the scenes,” which led to the birth of two weedy seadragons that can be seen at the aquarium’s seadragon exhibit, the aquarium said.

[–>

Only found in Australian waters

[–>

Weedy seadragons are native to southern Australia, according to the aquarium.

[–>

The species was listed as “near threatened” in 2006 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, according to Birch Aquarium. They have since been “downgraded to ‘least concern’ — partially because of the lack of population data.”

[–>

In addition to predators in the wild, other challenges the species face “include food scarcity, warming oceans and compromised habitats caused by climate change,” the aquarium said.

[–>

Still more research to be done

[–>

Matsushige, who’s worked to improve breeding strategies for decades, said the team still has “a lot to learn and improve on.”

[–>

“We hope with the gained knowledge we can get better at this process and have more frequent and consistent egg transfers and hatchings,” Matsushige said.

[–>

Before guests can see the aquarium’s newest additions, they will “spend up to a year behind the scenes,” the aquarium said.

[–>

Some of them may eventually be transferred to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums “as part of breeding and education programs,” according to the aquarium.

[–>[–>[–>