The common seadragon, also called the weedy seadragon, is a marine fish of the order Syngnathiformes, which also includes the similar pipefishes, seahorses and trumpetfishes. Adult common seadragons are reddish in colour with yellow and purple striped markings, and they carry small, leaf-like appendages resembling kelp or seaweed fronds that provide camouflage, along with short spines for protection; like seahorses and other syngnathids, they have a tubular snout and a fused, toothless jaw used to capture small invertebrate prey at high speed. Males are narrower-bodied and darker than females, and weedy seadragons can reach 45 centimetres in length; the species is the marine emblem of the Australian state of Victoria.
Facts
Classification
Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill). Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceReddish colour with yellow and purple striped markings 1 Scientific NamePhyllopteryx taeniolatus 1 Conservation Status Sources
1. Wikipedia: Common seadragon
Lead, sentence 1
The common seadragon or weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus)
Threats
classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List
Lead, sentence 2
Adult common seadragons are a reddish colour, with yellow and purple striped markings
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