Long-snouted seahorse
Hippocampus guttulatus
A tiny, patient seahorse that clings to seagrass and algae in shallow water, and no sighting is ever a promise.
Near Threatened (IUCN, assessed 2020) means it is close to qualifying as threatened. Its population is decreasing.
Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.
Length
Up to about 21.5 cm (8.5 in) in the largest males (FishBase); Black Sea seahorses are significantly smaller than those elsewhere
Weight
About 5 g (0.18 oz) on average, with captured adults of 1 to 18 g (0.04 to 0.63 oz) in one Mediterranean study; the study covered both European seahorse species
Next to a person
About as long as an adult hand at the largest, and about as light as a sheet of paper
What it eats
Small animals drifting in the water (zooplankton). It is a visual hunter, so it needs enough light to spot prey.
Around people
Tiny, look only
How it lives
It lives about 4 to 7 years. The male carries the young in a brood pouch, and the pregnancy lasts about 21 days. Broods can reach several hundred young, and the largest recorded had 581. Adults reach maturity at about 12.5 cm. It lives among eelgrass, algae and rocks in shallow water, and adults keep to a small home range of about 20 square metres on average.
Where it goes
It is not a migrant (IUCN). Adults stay near the same patch of habitat, and it is found from the surface down to about 38 m (IUCN).
We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.
Populations
The IUCN (assessed 2020, published 2026) rates it Near Threatened with a decreasing population, mainly from habitat loss, fishing and pollution. Older assessments listed it as Data Deficient. The IUCN lists Bulgaria within its range. Black Sea animals are significantly smaller than those elsewhere (Woodall et al., 2018). No population count for the Bulgarian coast was found in the sources opened. It is listed on CITES Appendix II (FishBase).
Meet it respectfully
Look from a calm distance and let it stay where it is. Never touch, hold, move or bait a seahorse, and keep your fins well clear of seagrass and algae, where it clings. It stays in one small patch, so disturbing it can matter. Local rules were not found in the sources opened, so follow your guide. A sighting is rare and never guaranteed.
Fun fact
Tap the bulb to light it up.
The male carries the young in a brood pouch for about 21 days.
Adults keep to a home range of only about 20 square metres.
Black Sea seahorses are smaller than those from other seas.
Long-snouted seahorse in the Ocean Atlas
Places we have researched where this animal is recorded. It is never guaranteed, and some places are for watching from the boat only.
Travel with usComing soonTrusted referralExploringOn pause, story onlyEthics pass
Country colour: pink where we travel, blue where we are exploring or refer, grey for story only.
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Denmark
France
Greece
Indonesia
Israel
Italy
Lebanon
Malta
Netherlands
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Spain
Türkiye
Ukraine
United KingdomSources for this page
- IUCN Red List, 2026
- FishBase, Hippocampus guttulatus
- Woodall et al., Marine Biology, 2018
- Occurrence of Seahorses in the Southernmost Part of Western Europe, PubMed Central
Facts checked 5 October 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.
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