Sunday 19 April 2015

Creature 201: Eurypegasus draconis

A fish that sheds its skin in one piece
Description:
Eurypegasus draconis is commonly known as the Dragon sea moth, the little dragonfish or the short dragonfish.

Dragon seamoths change the color of their skin to match their surroundings, which is not exactly a unique trick but is always pretty cool. You would think that this would mean that they invest a lot in their skin which makes it valuable to the. This is not the case. They shed their skin periodically and in one piece.

Distribution:
The dragon seamoth is found in tropical Indopacific waters.

Classification:
Sea moths are a small family of fishes similar to the dragon seamoth. They are in the same order as sea horses, as you might have guessed from the shape of their head.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gasterosteiformes
Family: Pegasidae
Genus: Eurypegasus
Species: Eurypegasus draconis

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