London's Secret Seahorses

Wonderful news this week from Great Britain, where seahorses have been spotted in the lower reaches of the River Thames, downstream from London. The Zoological Society of London, which had been keeping the news under wraps until the seahorses received protection under British environmental law, believes there may now be a breeding population in Thames' waters.

Several short-snouted seahorses (Hippocampus hippocampus) have turned up during routine conservation surveys over the past 18 months, and scientists believe they represent a resident resident population. They attribute the recovery to clean-up efforts in the river and its tributaries.

“It demonstrates that the Thames is becoming a sustainable biodiverse habitat for aquatic life," said Alison Shaw, Marine and Freshwater Conservation Program Manager for the Zoological Society.

Short-snouted seahorses weren't the only sea creatures given additional legal protection this week. Long-snouted seahorses and angel sharks also became protected species.

The Zoological Society of London is one of many international partners of Project Seahorse, which works to promote conservation and sustainable use of coastal marine ecosystems around the world.

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we're also a Project Seahorse partner, working both on captive breeding efforts and to promote seahorse conservation in the wild. As part of our new Splash Zone exhibit, we've just introduced a number of new species, from seahorses to leafy and weedy sea dragons.

If you can't come by to see the seahorses in person in the near future, here's a cool video clip of short-snouted seahorses from the Zoological Society of London: