Seahorses are beautiful animals living in the oceans. You might relate to this statement, even more, when seeing pendants and artificial structures made up of seahorses.
In recent years, the demand for seahorses has been boosted. As humans are one of their predators, illegal poaching of seahorses has increased as well.
Apart from that, many predators have continued hunting seahorses to survive in the ocean. But, that is just a cycle of life.
So, these days, this question is quite common- are seahorses extinct?
No! Seahorses aren’t extinct, yet. But, they are rare to find these days. Now, seahorses are considered to be an endangered species. Even though seahorses are not extinct, they do possess a great threat of extinction.
That was just the surface level of what we have compiled in this informative piece. Below, we are going to show you facts and information about your question.
With that being said, let’s start-
Are Seahorses Extinct?
As we mentioned, the seahorses aren’t still extinct, as of yet. But, they are not in a favourable condition worldwide. You may even wonder- how many seahorses are left in the world.
Well, many scientists are indicating that the seahorses won’t survive for long if things keep on continuing like this.
And, what has increased the extinction chances of seahorses? We’ll discuss all these points in the section below.
Why are Seahorses Closer to Extinction?
Seahorses are rarely seen these days! That would have been a normal thing if they were rare from the start. But, that wasn’t the case. The seahorses have been rare recently.
So, what has pushed the seahorses closer to extinction? Well, let’s look at the list-
Seahorses Being Demanding as Ingredients of Medicine
Yes, you heard it right. Seahorses have a lot of demand as traditional medicine. Let me explain further!
It is believed that seahorses can cure and solve ailments which include sexual dysfunction. Here, seahorses are taken as the main ingredients for Chinese traditional medicines.
And, these medicines are said to be the cure for infertility, asthma, arthritis, and baldness as well. That’s not all, the medicines made from seahorses are known to cure inflammation as well.
Furthermore, the medicines are effective against arthritis inflammation.
Lastly, medicines work well against the overall aging of the human body and seem to control the overall aging process too.
Thus, humans have been catching seahorses a lot because them being the main ingredients in traditional medicine. Illegal poaching has increased so much that seahorses are rarely seen on the coast.
Seahorses Demand Increasing as Ornaments
Seahorses’ ornaments are all over the internet. In fact, even in big stores, you will find seahorse ornaments. And, the number and demand for these ornaments are just increasing.
The main reason for this is that people value seahorses. Seahorses are unique and beautiful sea creatures. People love this and consider seahorses as good luck!
That is why you will see people gifting seahorse ornaments and even owning some to themselves.
For this reason, humans have been hunting seahorses down and illegal poaching of them has increased a lot, in recent times.
Overall Pollution in the Ocean
The overall pollution in the ocean has made life harder for seahorses. Many seahorses get tangled up in plastic. For this reason, they can’t move and hunt freely and have to starve to death.
That is not all! The presence of plastic in ocean beds has increased a lot more than before. In fact, the amount of plastic around the shallow seas is more compared to the deep seas.
And, the seahorses live around these shallow seas. You see, these shallow sea beds can be suffocated badly by the presence of plastic. This will make it harder for the seahorses to live in them.
In fact, a lot of seahorses have moved out of these shallow sea beds and are moving out of their own natural habitats.
The sad part is that seahorses have been calling these polluted sea beds their home for too long. And now, they are paying their prize.
That was the problem of suffocation. Another problem with seahorses is that they sometimes accidentally ingest microplastics. They mistakenly think of them as prey and ingest which causes internal damage to their digestive system.
This will cause a lot of problems in their digestive system and a lot of seahorses are dying because of plastic.
Global Warming
Global warming is a dangerous issue that is causing a problem everywhere in the world. And, the seahorses aren’t safe from that problem as well.
Due to global warming, the temperature is increasing everywhere. Even the ice is melting down.
And, one thing the seahorse doesn’t like is warm water. When the temperatures at the sea bed rise, the sea horse won’t be able to handle the heat. So, the change in climate will cause a problem, for sure.
Conclusion
By now, you will know the answer to- are seahorses extinct. They are not extinct. But, you know the threat they are living in. And, that is a factor to be worried about.
Illegal poaching should be stopped at all costs. Otherwise, the seahorses won’t survive for a long time. Already, they are endangered. So, if plastic pollution and poaching are continued, it will just make matters worse.
So, it’s our duty and our job to protect these wonderful creatures. Only we can make a change and create a better life for them. Any good deed directed towards seahorses will create a sustainable environment for them. Good luck.
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