Leafy+Sea+Dragon


 * Leafy Sea Dragon**

Phycodurus eques
 * Scientific name:**

They live in areas were there is kelp and reefs and they live in protected bays.
 * Habitat:**

Leafy Sea Dragons live in the ocean waters of the southern coast of Australia.
 * Range:**

Leafy Sea Dragons are some of the most ornately camouflaged animals in the world. They have leaf-shaped appendages that cover their entire body. They also have long thin snouts,bony rings that cover their skinny trunks. Unlike seahorses, Sea Dragons can't rap their tails around things. They are brown or yellow, and grow to be 14 inches long. They have dorsal and pectoral fins for moving to one place to another.
 * Physical Characteristics:**

Leafy Sea Dragons eat tiny crustaceans called mysids or sea lice.
 * Diet:**

When the male is ready to mate their tail turns yellow. Another adaptation is that they blend really well with seaweed and kelp.
 * Behavior and Adaptations:**

Unlike humans the males are the ones that lay the eggs and take care of the baby. The males have a spongy broad patch under their tail and when they are ready the female puts bright- pink eggs in there. While the eggs are on the patch they get fertilized after 4-6 weeks the male lets out the babies.
 * Reproduction:**

Divers take the animals and keep them as a pet.
 * Relationship to people:**

Leafy Sea Dragons are almost threatened.
 * Status:**

In 1990 the Australian government placed a protection for the dragons. So today nobody can take them out of the wild.
 * History:**

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/sea-dragon.html No book
 * Citations:**
 * 1) __divegallery.com__. "Leafy Sea Dragon main page, Phycodurus eques." 2004. April 29, 2008. http://www.divegallery.com/Leafy_Sea_Dragon.htm.
 * 2) __animals.nationalgeographic.com.__ "Leafy and weedy sea dragon."1996-2008.april 29,2008