SPECIES INFO
Weedy sea dragon (Phyllopteryx taenolatus) can be found near New South Wales in Australia. This is also found near Tasmania and also along the western coast of Australia. The bizarre creature appears to be a piece of kelp. It can grow to about 16 inches in length. There are two pictures in Fishes of Western Australia as edited by Burgess and Axelrod. These photographs appear to be of two different species, but one notes immediately that one is a 7 cm juvenile specimen and the other is an adult 37 cm specimen.Pipefish and seahorses (Family Syngnathidae) are found world wide primarily in warm and tropical seas. However, some pipefish can be found in freshwater. These two groups are closely related with the exception that pipefishes are elongated and frequently eel like in shape, while sea horses have a bent neck giving them a shape that reminds on of a horse. Both groups have elongated snouts. There are about 24 plus or minus seas horse species known to science, and over 100 species of pipe fishes known to science.
The Gasterosteiformes order contains several very diverse families. The Gastererosteidae (sticklebacks) of small freshwater fish belong here. The long billed Aulostomidae (trumpet fish) are found in coral reefs in warm and tropical oceans. The long beaked Fistulariidae (cornetfishes) are found in coral reefs in warm and tropical oceans. The flat bodied Centriscidae (shrimpfish and snipefish) are also found in warm and tropical oceans. The Sygnathidae (pipe fishes and seahroses) are found primarily in coral reefs around the world with a few freshwater species.
Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are found in both fresh and marine waters.
Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.
Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.
Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.