The leafy sea dragon disguises itself in an amazing way- it looks exactly like a plant. Thick stems with fleshy strips grow all around this fish's body in perfect imitation of floating vegetation. Neither predators nor prey recognize the dragon as it drifts by; it can either escape danger or ambush its unwary victims.
Leave It: Leaf-like fins and frilly appendages make the leafy sea dragon look like a floating clump of seaweed. When this fish rocks back and forth with the current, predators pass it by without a second glance.
Stay Sharp: Any enemies that see through this animal's disguise still might avoid biting into it. Sharp spines line the leafy sea dragon's belly. These spines could poke right through a fish's jaw.
Pumped Up[]
Leaf-like growths camouflage this fish's body.
A leafy sea dragon's disguise is so good that prey will swim right up to the predator to hide under the "vegetation." The dragon then draws its chief weapon a long snout that works like a powerful vacuum. The animal "pulls" a trigger under its chin when it opens its mouth, activating a pump that sucks water in and forces it out of small holes on the back of its head. The dragon's suction is so powerful that shrimp are torn apart as they're sucked through the predator's snout.
Big Eater: This fish is small, but it eats almost continuously. Adults feed up to 50 times a day, and young dragons eat up to 3,000 times a day to keep themselves nourished.
Look Around: The leafy sea dragon's eyes move independently of one another, and its brain can interpret both fields of vision separately so the fish can look in two directions at the same time.
Egg Drop[]
Like its relative, the seahorse, the male leafy sea dragon gives birth to the species' young. Small red "egg cups" grow on the dragon's tail, in which the female deposits her eggs. The young fall out on their own when they hatch in a huge swarm of larvae. Many of the young are eaten by predators before they become adults, so the dragon gives birth to hundreds of babies at a time to ensure that some will survive.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- This is one of the few purely saltwater fish not included in Monsters of the Deep, along with Barracudas, Sea Lamprey, Stingrays, Mudskipper, Seahorses, Flying Fish, Clownfish, and Remora.
- The leafy sea dragon is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Backyard Jungle on Monster Mania 32.
- It is later featured as part of one of the example creatures in Create-A-Monster on Monster Mania 36.