The largest seahorse in the world, found on gorgonians and black coral.
The largest seahorse in the world, reaching about 30 cm, and recorded at both destinations. It attaches to gorgonians and black coral on sheltered walls, usually below 10 m in the Galapagos and deeper at Cocos.
Difficulty is given as 4 at both, which reflects how little of the available habitat is dived rather than any rarity in the animal. Divers looking specifically at gorgonian stems on sheltered walls find them; divers doing the same sites for sharks do not.
Listed on CITES Appendix II, as all Hippocampus are, and assessed by the IUCN. Both facts belong in any entry that discusses the species.
Handling or repositioning a seahorse for a photograph is prohibited in the Galapagos National Park and is a poor idea anywhere.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.