Jody S. Rake - Sea Dragons

1. SPECIES:
   1. leafy, weedy, and ruby
2. RANGE:
   1. coasts off western and southern Australia
3. HABITAT:
   1. coastal seaweed and sea grass beds
4. SIZE:
   1. about 14 to 18 inches (35 to 45 cm) long
5. PREY:
   1. plankton, tiny shrimp, and fish larvae
6. PREDATORS:
   1. rarely any, sometimes large fish
7. LIFE SPAN:
   1. about five to 10 years in the wild; about 10 years in captivity

(uh-PEN-dij) a limb or other part that sticks out of an animal or plant (KA-muh-flahzh) coloring or covering that makes animals, people, and objects look like their surroundings (KLAS-uh-fy) to put into a group (KUHR-uhnt) the movement of water in a river or ocean (DAH-muhn-uhns) power over others (DOR-suhl FIN) a fin located on the back (INK-yoo-bate) to keep eggs at a suitable temperature while they develop (LAR-vuh) an animal at a young stage of development (MITH-i-kuhl) imaginary or possibly not real (or-NAYT) richly decorated (OK-suh-juhn) a colorless gas that animals need to live (PECKT-or-uhl FIN) one of a pair of fins found on each side of the head (PLANGK-tuhn) tiny plants and animals that drift in the sea (PRED-uh-tur) an animal that hunts another animal for food (pree-HENSS-ile) able to grip and grasp (PRAY) an animal hunted by another animal for food (REEF) an underwater strip of rocks, coral, or sand near the surface of the ocean (SPEE-sheez) a group of creatures that are capable of reproducing with one another (STREEM-lined) designed to move easily and quickly through air or water

1. Leaf, Christina. Sea Horses. Ocean Life Up Close. Minneapolis: Bellwether Media, 2017.
2. Meister, Cari. Sea Dragons. Life Under the Sea. Minneapolis: Bullfrog Books, 2015.
3. Peterson, Megan Cooley. Coral Reefs. Smithsonian Little Explorer. North Mankato, Minn.: Capstone Press, 2014.

1. Where do sea dragons live? Name two characteristics of this place. (Key Idea and Details)
2. Look at the photos on . How are the two sea dragons alike? How are they different? (Integration of Knowledge and Ideas)
3. Reread . Use the callout box to define the word incubate. Then explain how a male sea dragon incubates eggs. (Craft and Structure)

• appendages,
• Australia,

• camouflage,
• colors,
• currents,

• dragons (myth),

• eating,
• eggs,

• fins,
• food,
• plankton,

• gills,

• male incubation,
• patch,
• pouch,
• mating,
• mouths,

• oxygen,

• pipefish,
• predators,

• sea horses,
• size,
• snouts,
• species,
• spines,
• swim bladders,
• swimming,

• tails,
• threats,

• young,

Off the coast of Australia, a forest of seaweed gently sways. A small leafy mass breaks away. As it drifts gracefully, it becomes clear this is not a plant. It is an animal. Its body is colorful and flashy. It has a pointy snout. In fact, it looks like a dragon! This creature is a kind of fish called a sea dragon.

sea dragon

Youve probably read about dragons in books. Dragons of fiction are often scaly and snakelike. Others, such as those of Chinese legends, are frilly and creatures. These animals have earned the name dragon for how they look or behave. The sea dragon is one such animal.

The ocean is home to three . The delicate frills gently sway like the surrounding seaweed.

leafy sea dragon

The weedy sea dragon is also called the common sea dragon. It has fewer and smaller attachments than its leafy cousin. But its colorful markings make it equally beautiful.

Recently scientists discovered a third species of sea dragon. The ruby sea dragon is bright red. It is less common than the other two species. It lives in deeper waters than the leafies and weedies. Not much is known about this species.

Sea dragons are much smaller than the dragons of stories. They range from about 14 to 18 inches (35 to 45 centimeters) long. Weedy sea dragons are typically the largest.

weedy sea dragon

Sea dragons may not be what you imagine when you think of fish. But like other fish, sea dragons spend their entire lives in water. Their gills help them take in sea dragons as fish.