A girl was walking along Indian Shores Beach in Pinellas County, Florida when she saw a seagull flying above her head. It looked like the seagull was carrying a Cheeto – and then the Cheeto fell down and landed near the girl. The girl went over and realized that it wasn’t a Cheeto at all, it was a seahorse!
The seahorse was in need of help. The girl put the bright orange seahorse in her bucket added some sand and water, and ran over to her mother. Together, they reached out to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for help. The seahorse was a female lined seahorse that can change colors to match the surroundings.
This ability is known as crypsis, and this form of camouflage used to help protect the seahorses from predators.
In her new aquarium (which is located in quarantine habitat in the aquatics department), the seahorse turned a bright yellow!
Seagulls will often pick seahorses up out of the water, but reject them because of their bony structure. It is rare for a seahorse to survive such a fall.
