What a strange animal the seahorse is!
In fact, despite its horse-like head and the way it moves vertically, the seahorse is actually a fish with gills and fins.
Its gripping tail is protected by square, movable dermal plates that have inspired medical engineering to design robots based on their articulation and flexibility.
Seahorses are born regularly at Nausicaá. Some then head to the aquariums in the exhibition, while others go to partner aquariums.
Recently, longsnout seahorses Hippocampus reidi were born at Nausicaá.
To attract and charm its sweetheart, the seahorse engages in a ballet lasting several hours, at the end of which the female lays her eggs in the male's incubator pouch. This pragmatic seahorse will approach another female if the first one has not laid enough eggs.
The eggs hatch in this pouch and continue to develop over a period of 4 to 8 weeks. Contractions expel the young seahorses, which measure around 5 mm at birth.
Do you know what inspired the invention of flexible microelectrodes to examine a patient's brain, ultra-resistant adhesives used in industry or the construction of certain buildings? The answer is the observation of marine animals! Biomimicry is the technological application of properties seen in nature.