Stay Anchored and Delight in Small Things

A seahorse is a small marine fish. There are 46 species of seahorses in the genus called Hippocampus. Hippo in ancient Greek means horse and kampos is translated as sea monster.

Seahorses are fish. They are called seahorses because their head is similar in appearance to a horse’s head. Seahorses have a brain and a hard exoskeleton rather than scales. They have a swim bladder for buoyancy, gills to breathe, and fins to help them swim. 

Seahorses are very poor swimmers. The slowest fish in the world is the dwarf seahorse.  It travels only five feet in an hour. Seahorses swim in an upright position and they use a delicate dorsal fin on their backs to move forward. They have small fins called pectoral fins on the side of their heads to help them change directions. If they get caught in a storm, they will likely die because they are unable to swim their way out. 

Seahorses have excellent eyesight.  Their eyes are able to work independently on either side of their head. They can actually look backwards and forwards at the same time.  This is useful as they hunt for food by sight and they have a big appetite.  This also helps them to look out for predators while they are eating.  

Seahorses use their powerful tails as a weapon when fighting over food or territory.  They also use their tail as a way to anchor themselves during a storm. Mated pairs will even be swimming with their tails linked. Maybe this is their version of holding hands. 

Seahorses mate for life.  Seahorses swim together, intertwine their tails, change colours, and share the same anchor point during the courting period.  The female deposits eggs into a pouch on the male’s belly and he carries the eggs until they hatch.  When it is time to give birth, the male contracts his abdomen repeatedly, spitting out tiny, fully formed seahorses. The male seahorses can carry up to 2,000 fry in their pouch.  

No two seahorses are alike!  A small crown, called a coral net, is different on each seahorse.  The spiky crowns on their heads is the equivalent of human fingerprints. Due to a lack of data, the lifespans of wild seahorses are unknown.  However, those in captivity live about one year if they are the smallest species while larger species can live for three to five years. 

These are the sayings on the bookmark called Advice from a Seahorse.

• Delight in Small Things

• Appreciate Flexibility

• Be at Home in the Water

• Indulge in a Little Horseplay

• Beauty Comes in all Shapes and Sizes

• Stay Anchored

• Be a Horse of a Different Colour!

Here are my comments about each of the sayings.

• Delight in Small Things - Enjoy the many small blessings that come my way.

• Appreciate Flexibility - Be able to change and try new things.  

• Be at Home in the Water - Feel comfortable in the situation you are experiencing. 

• Indulge in a Little Horseplay - Be silly or behave in a comical manner once and a while.  Have some fun. 

• Beauty Comes in all Shapes and Sizes - We all come in many different shapes and sizes.  Our beauty is in our differences.  We need to support each other and our differences. 

• Stay Anchored - Hold on to what keeps you standing. Be firmly based on your ideas or beliefs.  

• Be a Horse of a Different Colour! Be different, not always following everyone else.

Have a great day everyone.  Stay anchored and delight in small things that come your way today.

# living life abundantly   # published author   # travelling tuesdays