Tuesday, September 7, 2010

World's Smallest Seahorse Facing Extinction

No matter it's size, the dwarf seahorse is just as important to us at Neptune's Defenders as are the larger sea creatures it shares its waters with. Natgeo has a great article on the struggle the dwarf seahorse is facing due to the oil spill.

"One of the world's smallest seahorse species could disappear due to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and subsequent clean-up efforts, conservationists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) warned today.

"The dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae), found only in waters off the Gulf Coast, now faces a bleak future after its much of its habitat was destroyed by the spill," ZSL said in a news release.

"Scientists are worried that the clean-up process could further diminish dwarf seahorse populations and other marine life," ZSL added.

Conservationists from the ZSL Project Seahorse team are urging BP to minimize the use of chemical dispersants and the burning of oil during the clean-up process, which is expected to take years, ZSL said."

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