Long-snouted Seahorse Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Long, slender snout, distinctly longer than in most eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean seahorses
• Prominent mane of branching skin filaments (cirri) on the head, neck, and back, especially well developed in adults and often longer than the eye diameter
• Mottled brown or olive body with small pale spots scattered across the flanks and tail
• Tall coronet tipped with fine points, visible even when the mane is reduced
• Grows to about 12-15 cm and has a comparatively slender, wiry trunk

Common look-alikes

• Short-snouted seahorse: has a short, thick snout and little to no mane of skin filaments

Where you'll see one

The long-snouted seahorse is found along the eastern Atlantic coast and throughout the Mediterranean Sea, often alongside the short-snouted seahorse. It favors seagrass beds, particularly Zostera meadows, as well as beds of macroalgae growing over sand, typically from very shallow water down to around 12 meters, where its mane and mottled coloring provide effective camouflage among swaying vegetation and drifting weed.