Pipefishes and seahorses are the only species in the animal kingdom to which the term "male pregnancy" has been applied.

Let us see how a male seahorse becomes pregnant.

* The male seahorse has a brood pouch in which he carries eggs deposited by the female.

* The mating pair entwine their tails and the female aligns a long tube called an ovipositor with the male's pouch.

* The eggs move through the tube into the male's pouch where he then fertilizes them.

* The embryos develop in ten days to six weeks, depending on species and water conditions.
* When the male gives birth he pumps his tail until the baby seahorses emerge.

* The male's pouch regulates salinity for the eggs, slowly increasing in the pouch to match the water outside as the eggs mature.

* Hatched offspring are independent of their parents. Some spend time developing among the ocean plankton.

* At times, the male seahorse may try to consume some of the previously released offspring.

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