ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE

PROTECTION STATUS: Not listed

PETITIONED: 2011

RANGE: Shallow waters in the Gulf of Mexico, along the Atlantic Coast of Florida and in the Caribbean

THREATS: Pollution, loss of seagrass habitat, oil spills, collection for the aquarium trade and for use in curios, global climate change, ocean acidification

POPULATION TREND: Numerous studies have shown that dwarf seahorse populations are declining in conjunction with the loss of the seagrass beds they need for survival.

Dwarf seahorse photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Stickpen