You might have seen or learned about hundreds of thousands of animals in the world, but did you ever happen to come across a marine fish that looks like drifting seaweed? If not, just go through this post and add some stunning pieces of information to your existing pool of knowledge about the animal kingdom! Leafy sea dragon, one of the weirdest animals on the planet earth, is the only surviving member of the genus Phycodurus which has been named after the dragons of the Chinese mythology. Its specific name also refers to one of the most basic physical characteristics of the animal, that is, long leaf-like projections that come from all over the body. This marine fish can be found along the western and southern coasts of Australia. Listed below are some of the most amazing facts about leafy seadragon that, besides contributing to your knowledge will also serve as a source of entertainment:

• You will be really surprised to learn that the long leaf-like projections present all over the body of this leafy seadragon are not used for propulsion in water but only serve as a means of camouflage!
• A pectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin on the back are used as a means of propulsion or movement in the marine environment.
• The members of this weird animal species, that is, Phycodurus eques, are popularly known as "leafies" or "weedies".
• Leafy seadragon is the marine emblem of the state of South Australia as well as it serves as a focus for the conservation of the local marine environment.
• It shows close resemblance to the seahorse which belongs to the same family Syngnathidae but seadragon is lighter larger than its relative.
• Growing up to the size of about 24 cm or 10 inches, the favorite diet of this marine fish consists of plankton and small crustaceans.
• The pectoral and dorsal fins, found on the body of this marine fish, are small in size and, being almost completely transparent, they are very difficult to be seen.
• Through the minute undulating movements of the fins, the creature moves sedately through water, thus giving the allusion of floating seaweed.
• Depending on its diet, age, stress level and location, the seadragon is also capable of changing the body color and the commonly witnessed hues include green, orange and gold.
• Concerning the literal meaning of Phycodurus eques, the word "Phycodurus" has been derived from two Greek words, "phyco" and "durus", meaning "seaweed" and "tough or strong", respectively. The word "eques", on the other hand, comes from Latin and literally means a "horse".
• Some animals are in least concern state and have no threats to their population in the coming years.
• Quite interestingly, at present, two species of the seadragons are extant but each of them belongs to a separate genus.
• A wide variety of habitats inhabited by the seadragons include sea grass meadows, rocky reefs and seaweed beds.

• These leafy and weedy sea dragons have thin and very long snouts and their slender trunks are covered in bony rings.
• Unlike their seahorse cousins, the thin tails of these weird marine creatures cannot be used for gripping.
• Just like that of seahorse, they have got fused jaws, a horse-like head and chameleon-like eyes.
• The practice of feeding is carried out by sucking tiny marine animals, like mysid shrimp and sea lice with the help of their thin long snouts.
• As is the case with seahorses, the male members of seadragons take the responsibility of childbearing but instead of a pouch, present in their relatives, they possess a spongy brood patch on the underside of the tail.
• You will definitely find it quite interesting to note that, during the process of mating, the females deposit their bright-pink eggs in the spongy brood patch on the underside of the tail of a male.
• The egg-carrying brood patch in the males consists of a series of tiny cups that hold the eggs during fertilization and also make sure that the eggs get enough oxygen before they are finally hatched.
• The fertilization of the eggs occurs while they are being transferred from the female to the male.
• Here is one of the most important facts about the leafy sea dragons that it takes about four to six weeks for the males to incubate the eggs and carry them to the term, after which the miniature sea dragons are released into water.
• Because of their strange features and attractive coloration patterns, these cousins of seahorses are frequently taken by the sea divers who love to keep them as pets.
• During the 1990s, owing to the excessive takings by the sea divers, the number of seadragons shrank to such a critical extent that the Australian government had to place complete protection on the species.
• It is very unfortunate that takings, pollution and habitat loss have collectively contributed to the drastic decrease in the number of leafy seadragons and they have currently been listed as near threatened.