Knysna Seahorse

Seahorses are bizarre, mythical creatures in their own right, being fish, with a horse-shaped head, monkey-like tail that grips on seaweed, eyes that move independently like a chameleon, and a kangaroo-like pouch, but on the males, in which they incubate the eggs, giving birth to offspring!

The Knysna Seahorse is incredibly special, being one of 5 seahorse species found in southern Africa, and the most endangered in the world, primarily due to its exceptionally limited distribution range. They are endemic and only found in a few southern Cape estuaries, namely the Knysna, Keurbooms and Swartvlei estuaries, shown here on the map in the painting.

They can be green to brown to dark purple in colour, with the ability to change colour and camouflage themselves, as this one is in the process of doing.

Hippocampus capensis

Original artwork: available