Straightnose pipefish

The only fish with which it might be confused is the broadnosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) but that is more robust and has a hexagonal cross-section.

The female has pale blue markings on the head and body and both sexes become more colourful at breeding time when the male's snout turns yellow.

[3] This fish is found in the North-eastern Atlantic along the coasts of Europe, its range extending from southern Norway to Morocco.

The straightnose pipefish lives among eelgrass and seaweed with its tail wrapped around the vegetation and its head elevated.

Like other species of pipefish and the closely related seahorses, the straighnose pipefish exhibits male parental care, meaning that female reproductive success is limited by her ability to court and mate with a suitable male.

Head of a straightnose pipefish from the Hryhorivsky Estuary , Black Sea , Ukraine