Ornate Ghostpipefish

Photo: terence zahner · CC BY-NC

Ornate ghostpipefish drift among feather stars and crinoids at Kal's Dream, their elaborate fleshy appendages and variable coloration matching the surrounding invertebrates so precisely that they are invisible until they move. Unlike true pipefish and seahorses where the male carries eggs, in ghostpipefish it is the female whose modified pelvic fins form a brood pouch for the eggs — a reversal of the seahorse pattern. They feed on tiny crustaceans swept past them by gentle current, hovering head-down in a near-stationary posture until prey comes within range.