The species is listed as Endangered in New South Wales, making it the only endangered seahorse in Australia, and one of only two endangered seahorse species in the world.
Now, in an effort to revive the species, naturally found along Australia’s east coast, 111 juvenile White’s seahorses (Hippocampus whitei) have been released into the wild in the waters of Botany Bay, Sydney.
Their new digs are a series of reimagined ‘seahorse hotels’ placed on the ocean floor.
The released seahorses were bred in captivity at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium as part of an ongoing conservation collaboration with Botany Bay’s Gamay Rangers and the Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences – a group including scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and industry experts from the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries.
Continue reading and view video on the Australian Geographic website: Adorable seahorses check into new underwater ‘hotels’