Most threatened species
Like most other species, both terrestrial and marine, seahorses, pipefishes, seadragons, and their relatives face many threats, including habitat loss, pollution, climate change, invasive species, and direct exploitation in the form of overfishing and bycatch.
The extent of these threats vary from species to species. For example, we know that the Cape seahorse (H. capensis) is endangered, owing to the fact that its geographical range is limited to a few South African estuaries, where human activity encroaches on its habitat. We can say conclusively that the other species on the list below are also threatened with extinction.
However, it should be noted that many of the 330 or so species under our remit may also be threatened. For now, we simply do not have enough information to determine their conservation statuses. Our goal is to assess every single species of seahorse, pipefish, seadragon, and their relatives and spur conservation action where it is needed.
To take action yourself to help protect these species and for ocean conservation see our Taking Action section!
Species |
Range |
IUCN |
Learn more |
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Cosmocampus balli (Fowler, 1925) English common names: Ball's pipefish |
Central Pacific |
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Hippocampus waleananus Gomon & Kuiter, 2009 English common names: Walea soft coral pygmy seahorse, Walea pygmy seahorse |
Western Pacific |
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Leptonotus vincentae Luzzatto & Estalles, 2019 English common names: Patagonian Pipefish, Amanda's pipefish |
Western Atlantic |
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Microphis kaipuae (Haÿ, Mennesson, Keith & Lord, 2022) English common names: Kaipu’s pipefish, Gavuvu River pipefish |
Gavuvu River |
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Hippocampus capensis Boulenger, 1900 English common names: Knysna seahorse, Cape seahorse |
Eastern Atlantic |
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H. comes Cantor, 1849 English common names: Tiger-tail seahorse |
Eastern Indian & Western Pacific |
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H. trimaculatus Leach, 1814 English common names: Three-spot seahorse, Flat-faced seahorse, Longnose seahorse, Low-crowned seahorse, Smooth seahorse |
Central, Eastern Indian & Western Pacific |
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H. whitei Bleeker, 1855 English common names: White's seahorse, New holland seahorse, Sydney seahorse, High-crown seahorse, Common seahorse |
Western Pacific |
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Microphis pleurostictus (Peters, 1868) English common names: Lake Bato pipefish |
Philippines |
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Pseudophallus galadrielae (Dallevo-Gomes, Mattox & Toledo-Piza 2020) English common names: Lake Izabal pipefish |
Lake Izabal |
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Stigmatopora harastii (Short & Trevor-Jones, 2020) English common names: Harasti's pipefish, Red wide-bodied pipefish |
Western Pacific |
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Syngnathus schmidti (Popov, 1928) English common names: Black Sea pelagic pipefish |
Eastern Atlantic |
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Syngnathus variegatus (Pallas, 1814) English common names: Thickly snouted pipefish |
Eastern Atlantic |
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Syngnathus watermeyeri (Smith, 1963) English common names: Estuarine pipefish, River pipefish |
South Africa |
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Hippocampus algiricus Kaup, 1856 English common names: West African seahorse |
Eastern Atlantic |
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H. barbouri Jordan & Richardson, 1908 English common names: Barbour's seahorse, Zebra-snout seahorse |
Eastern Indian & Western Pacific |
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H. erectus Perry, 1810 English common names: Lined seahorse, Horsefish, Northern seahorse, Spotted seahorse |
Western Atlantic |
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H. haema Han, Kim, Kai & Senou, 2017 English common names: Korean seahorse |
Western Pacific |
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H. histrix Kaup, 1856 English common names: Thorny seahorse, Longspine seahorse, Spiny seahorse |
Indian Ocean, Central & Western Pacific |
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H. ingens Girard, 1858 English common names: Giant seahorse, Pacific seahorse, Pacific giant seahorse |
Eastern Pacific |
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H. kelloggi Jordan & Snyder, 1901 English common names: Great seahorse, Kellogg's seahorse, Offshore seahorse |
Indian Ocean & Western Pacific |
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H. kuda Bleeker, 1852 English common names: Spotted seahorse, Common seahorse, Estuarine seahorse, Yellow seahorse, Smooth seahorse, Sad seahorse, Dull seahorse, Oceanic seahorse |
Indian Ocean, Central & Western Pacific |
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H. mohnikei Bleeker, 1853 English common names: Japanese seahorse, Lemur-tail seahorse |
Eastern Indian, Central & Western Pacific |
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H. patagonicus Piacentino & Luzzatto, 2004 English common names: Patagonian seahorse |
Western Atlantic |
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H. spinosissimus Weber, 1913 English common names: Hedgehog seahorse, Spiny seahorse, Winged seahorse, Queensland seahorse, Halfspine seahorse |
Central, Eastern Indian & Western Pacific |
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Microphis insularis (Hora, 1925) English common names: Andaman pipefish, Andaman freshwater pipefish |
Andaman Islands |
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Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Lacepède, 1804) English common names: Weedy seadragon, Common seadragon, Lucas' seadragon |
Eastern Indian Ocean & Southwest Pacific |
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Syngnathus tenuirostris (Rathke, 1837) English common names: Narrow-snouted pipefish |
Eastern Atlantic |
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Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus (Bleeker, 1857) English common names: Bentstick pipefish, Bend stick pipefish, Chocolate pipefish, Double-ended pipefish, Ringed pipefish, Short-tailed pipefish, Stick pipefish |
Indian Ocean, Central & Western Pacific |
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T. serratus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850) English common names: Crested pipefish, Saw pipefish, Goggle-eye pipefish |
Central, Eastern Indian & Western Pacific |
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IUCN Red List key
Click here for a full explanation of IUCN Red List categories. A brief key is provided below.
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| Extinct | Extinct in the Wild |
Critically Endangered |
Endangered | Vulnerable | Near Threatened |
Least Concern |
Data Deficient |
Not Evaluated |
A note on ‘Data Deficient’ species: Species that are assessed as Data Deficient are deemed to have insufficient information known about them to carry out a proper conservation assessment. Although such species are not assessed as threatened, we may find out that they in fact are, once enough data is obtained.
Banner image of Pontoh's seahorse (H. pontohi) © Tom van Hout / Guylian Seahorses of the World
Image of Walea soft coral pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus waleananus) © Richard Smith
Image of Patagonian Pipefish (Leptonotus vincentae) © gonzalobravo / iNaturalist
Image of Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis) © callumevans / iNaturalist
Image of Tiger-tail seahorse (H. comes) © sylvain_le_bris / iNaturalist
Image of Three-spot seahorse (H. trimaculatus) © franca2020 / iNaturalist
Image of White's seahorse (H. whitei) © daveharasti / iNaturalist
Image of Harasti's pipefish (Stigmatopora harastii) © eschlogl / iNaturalist
Image of Thickly snouted pipefish (Syngnathus variegatus) © aleksandr_levon / iNaturalist
Image of Estuarine pipefish (Syngnathus watermeyeri) © Louw Claassens
Image of West African seahorse (Hippocampus algiricus) © benjobson / iNaturalist
Image of Barbour's seahorse (H. barbouri) © tantsusoo / iNaturalist
Image of Lined seahorse (H. erectus) © letifish-avenutre / iNaturalist
Image of Korean seahorse (H. haema) © Zhang Jinggong
Image of Thorny seahorse (H. histrix) © alexandrarawden / iNaturalist
Image of Giant seahorse (H. ingens) © valeriamas / iNaturalist
Image of Great seahorse (H. kelloggi) © alantanzania / iNaturalist
Image of Spotted seahorse (H. kuda) © edblackthorne / iNaturalist
Image of Japanese seahorse (H. mohnikei) © hcj003 / iNaturalist
Image of Patagonian seahorse (H. patagonicus) © gonzalobravo / iNaturalist
Image of Hedgehog seahorse (H. spinosissimus) © anudibranchmom / iNaturalist
Image of Weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) © ocean_mick / iNaturalist
Image of Narrow-snouted pipefish (Syngnathus tenuirostris) © sylvain_le_bris / iNaturalist
Image of Bentstick pipefish (Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus) © ajhg / iNaturalist
Image of Crested pipefish (T. serratus) © Izuzuki Diver
Illustration of pipefish © Yuri Katayama
[Page updated Sept 2026]