Animal Fact Sheets
Leafy Seadragon (Phycodurus equus)

Seadragons are able to change colour however the ability to hide amongst floating kelp or seagrass is their main form of protection from predators.

Leafy Seadragons can reach up to 45cm from tail to head. They are characterised by the array of leaf like appendages adorning its body. Giving the animal an unmistakably ‘leafy’ appearance that in turn enables the Seadragon to be camouflaged to predators and prey.

Leafy Seadragons are very slow moving. The hide of the Leafy Seadragon is quite rigid making movement hard, so the small ventral and dorsal fins are used for movement.

Breeding and Lifecycle
The male Leafy Seadragon will brood and ‘give birth’ to the young. The female will deposit approximately between 100 and 250 eggs on the male’s tail. The male’s tail is equipped with a brood patch; this is a special patch for the eggs to be fertilized by the male. In addition the patch is made up of modified ‘cups’ each able to hold one egg. Eggs are pink in colour and are provided with oxygen via the male Seadragon’s blood vessels. Between four to six weeks after the eggs have been deposited the male will give birth to the young.

Habitat and Distribution
Leafy Seadragons are known to inhabit areas close to shore containing seagrass. This species has only been recorded from the southern coastline of Australia, from Kangaroo Island, South Australia to Rottnest Island, Western Australia.

Diet
Leafy Seadragons are fierce predators of Sea Lice; they make up the main diet of an adult Leafy Seadragon. Juveniles prey generally on smaller prey such as copepods and rotifers.

Threats to Survival
Leafy Seadragons have very few predators; the destruction of habitat by human disturbances is one of the biggest threats to natural populations. In addition sea storms can also have devastating effects on populations. Many can be found after large storms washed up on beaches in clumps of seagrass.

References
Dragon Search
Australian Marine Conservation Society

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