Greater Pipefish

Greater pipefish at El Ancón weave between posidonia blades in a mesmerising slow-motion undulation, hovering motionless when disturbed before continuing their patrol for small crustaceans. Males of this species also brood eggs in a ventral brood pouch and are noticeably thicker than females during the late spring breeding season. Their long, perfectly linear bodies make them remarkably difficult to spot against the parallel leaf structure of the meadow — experienced guides point them out by indicating the distinctive ripple in an otherwise still leaf column.