Absolutely, the answer is “Yes”! Seahorses are cold-blooded creatures, like most fishes in the ocean world. They are also known as ectothermic (so-called cold-blooded animals). They can acclimate to 18°C and can handle 18-4.7°C (minimum). Also, Seahorses can manage 30 to 30-7.8°C maximum ~ (Source).
According to the study, you will find 3 types of fish: jawless, cartilaginous, and bony fish. Seahorses are from the bony fishes category. All these types, including seahorses, are cold-blooded. However, a lot of myths are related to this fact. Let’s reveal the ins and outs of seahorses’ blood origin (cold-blooded).
Do Seahorses have Blood?
Of Course! Yes… it is a very obviously asked question and has an obvious answer. Actually, you will find the existence of blood in its tufted gills, which are made from comb-like filaments called lamellae.
Another way to be said lamellae refers to a plate of tissue where you will find a thick network of blood vessels.
Moreover, studying its respiratory system will clearly understand blood’s mechanism of action, proving its existence.
Another point to be disclosed is that blood is a carrier of oxygen in its breathing system, which regulates main body function. So, there is no doubt about the presence of seahorses’ blood.
But now the question is, are they really cold-blooded or warm-blooded? Don’t worry!!! I will answer the facts in the following session with my biological knowledge and wisdom.
Are seahorses cold-blooded? Why are they cold-blooded?
Seahorses are small marine fish in the family of Syngnathidae or Pipefishes. The common feature of the fishes of this family is that they are cold-blooded.
The main reason that makes them cold-blooded creatures is they can’t produce their body heat and maintain it by themselves. To produce body heat, seahorses need to confirm high metabolism.
But a high metabolism isn’t possible while breathing in water because on the water surface, the oxygen volume is less than the air surface.
Although Seahorses eat enough food, they can’t extract the required oxygen to burn their food and prove themselves warm-blooded fish.
Other significant points of cold-blooded bony fishes are: living in water, breathing with gills, have fins instead of legs. Seahorses are such kinds of creatures that have all the features I just now mentioned.
[Note: Due to their low basal metabolism, their body temperature fluctuates with the weather or surrounding water temperature.]
What do cold-blooded fish/animals mean?
Cold-blooded fish/animals are not biologically designed to show thermophysiology features. They maintain their body temperature according to the current environment.
Mostly, they choose shallow weedy localities like eelgrass beds. So, they won’t need to migrate to faraway places, but they move into deeper sea water on seasonal changes.
They cannot survive in extreme conditions. Cold-blooded fishes are not good enough at swimming. They choose deeper water areas to calm themselves in winter due to their cold-blooded habitant.
What does warm-blooded fish/animals mean?
Unlike cold-blooded animals, if we talk about warm-blooded animals, they are opposite to cold-blooded ones.
In simple words, we can define warm-blooded animals as “a species of animals who can regulate their body temperature in any situation are called warm-blooded animals.”
Getting deeper into the topic, we know that these kinds of animals can easily stand out in every environment.
According to the study of NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center: An example of a fully warm-blooded fish is the opah or moonfish (Source).
Differences Between Cold Blooded and Warm-Blooded Animals
As we have discussed earlier in detail that what are cold-blooded and what are warm-blooded animals, but we are defining again to reveal some specific differences between them:
Cold Blooded Fish
- Cold-blooded animals cannot survive in all weather and circumstances, as they cannot bring out their natural heating process and have to rely on the environment.
- They have a slow metabolism.
- They can survive for many days without food.
- Reptiles, snakes, fish species, and amphibians are the most common examples of cold-blooded fish.
Warm-blooded Fish/animals
- Warm-blooded animals can easily survive in all conditions; they can stabilize their body temperature through a natural process called thermoregulation.
- They have a high metabolism.
- Mackerel sharks, tuna, and opah (moon fish) are the most common examples of Warm-blooded.
Can you get cold-water seahorses in cool countries?
Seahorses are not a steamy creation! They are found in cool countries in colder waters, including England, New Zealand, eastern Canada, and Argentina.
Moreover, the only seahorse species with long snouts can only be seen in England’s oceans.
Conclusion
Cold-blooded seahorses are accustomed to a specific ocean environment. For example, the ultimate thermal range for lined seahorses is between 22°C to 26°C ~(Source). They are not biologically originated to live in warmed areas of the ocean world.
Moreover, depending on the thermally heterogeneous environments, seahorses also show unique behavioral and physiological activities that match cold-blooded fish.
I hope you enjoyed the whole topic while expanding your knowledge with facts and valuable information. That’s all for today, so don’t forget to share it with friends and family. Regards 🙂