Leafy sea dragon

by Milly

The Leafy Sea

Dragon

By Milly

Contents

Introduction…….03 Habitat…………04 Diet……………..05 Reproduction........06 Breathing................07 Appearance............08 Movement..............09 Communication....10 Relations.................11 Adaptions...............12 Threats....................13 Life Span.................14 Fun Facts................15 Conclusion.............16 References.............17 Glossary..................18

IntroductionHave you ever wondered what other

species are in the ocean? Well, my report will inform you all about the

leafy sea dragon. Not everyone knows about the leafy sea

dragon but that’s hopefully about to change.

HabitatThe leafy sea dragon lives in Australia. The leafy sea dragon is found only in the southern waters of Australia in Victoria and the Eastern waters of Australia, 220 km north of Perth.

Also, they live 50 meters below sea level in sand patches, kelp beds and

piles of sea grass.

Diet

The leafy sea dragon has lots of different meals. They eat plankton and small crustaceans such as shrimp, mysid and larval fish. It uses it’s snout to

suck up its prey.

                   Breeding "The leafy sea dragons lays lots of eggs. The female lays up to 250 pink eggs but only 5% survive in the wild. The male carries the eggs on their brood patch (tail) until the eggs hatch, which can take up to 9 months. The breeding season starts in March and ends in October."

Eggs"The leafy sea dragons eggs are very unique. Their eggs are very colourful they are "bright pink. The eggs are very tiny and round.

Reproduction

Life

Cycle

The leafy sea dragon has a different way of living than

humans .The first few days they start to swim away from their parents they start to find their own food and their own place to live before they have their

own babies (a drake)

BabiesThe leafy sea dragon have babies like humans do. A baby leafy sea dragon is

called a drake. When a baby is born it is ready to leave

their parents.

Breathing

The leafy sea dragon breaths like a fish .They inhale water into their mouths and they let water

out of their gills, which separates the oxygen through it’s gills.

Appearance

The leafy sea dragon is a unusual shape and size. They grow up to

14 cm to 18 cm long . They weigh approximately half a pound or

less.

The leafy sea dragon is lots of different colours. The bodies are a mix of brown, orange with olive scales. Also, they have green leaf

appendixes .

The leafy sea dragon has multiple relatives. They are cousins with all the species of sea horse and sea dragon and close relatives with a pipe fish. They might be relatives with a sea horse but is

classified as a fish.

FAMILY

Movement! The leafy sea dragon moves

differently to other sea species . It also sleeps upside down, so if you see one when it's asleep you wouldn't know if it was dead or asleep. When the water is nice and calm they are nice and relaxed

but if the water is rough they are restless. It also has tiny fins on the

sides of its head to help them move in the water they are also very slow

swimmers ."

Adaptions!The leafy sea dragon has adaptations to keep

them alive. One of their adaptations is camouflage. They use camouflage to hide from predators . Also they have appendixes like leafs

to help them move easer in the water .

Communication

The leafy sea dragon communicates differently to humans. When a male and a female are meeting

they dance before they breed. When the male and the female are breeding the males tail become

bright yellow to get ready to hold all the babies .

The leafy sea dragon have natural and man made threats. They get caught by collectors and are used for medicine and they don’t have very strong bodies so in big storms they normally get washed up on beaches .

Threats

The Leafy sea dragon is related to a sea horse and a pipe fish .They are related to a sea horse and pipe fish because of their snout and bony body.

Relations

Life Span The leafy sea dragon has a life span like

humans. It can live for up to 6 to 10 years in captivity and the same in the wild. A baby

waits 2 years before they are officially an adult but swim away from home when they are

born.

10 FUN FACTS!!!- A leafy sea dragon swims 150km per hour

- A baby leafy sea dragon is called a drake

- A leafy sea dragon likes to hide in kelp

- The scientific name for a leafy sea dragon is Phycodurs Eques

- A leafy sea dragon is classified as a fish

- The leafy sea dragon is in danger

- They lay up to 250 eggs but only 5% survive

- A leafy sea dragon has an appendix that looks like leaves to help them camouflage

- They are close relatives with all the sea horse species and pipe fish.

- There are 2 types of leafy sea dragons a weedy and a leafy.

Conclusion

In conclusion I hope that you know heaps more about these mind blowing creatures. Some ways that you could make sure

the leafy sea dragons population increases. #1: If you see a leafy sea dragon LEAVE IT IN THE WATER. #2: Don’t join the collectors, join protecting the leafy sea

dragon. I hope you enjoyed reading my report and that you have to

help the leafy sea dragon or there will be no more.

References

www.pittsburg.zoo.org www.factzoo.com en.wikipedia.org

www.visitsealife.com www.seahorseworld.com

wwf.panda.org www.divegallery.com

www.animalstime.com www.animalplace.net

www.arkive.org

Glossary

Phycodurus Eques{ leafy sea dragon} "

Captivity{ held in a tank} "

Camouflage{ blending, hiding} "

Species{ animals types}

Images