The first eggs of a weedy sea dragon hatched in SeaWorld Orlando Wednesday, making the park one of the few aquariums in the world to successfully breed the sea horse relative.
The birth of the sea dragons marks the first time the eggs have ever hatched at a SeaWorld park. The remainder of the 100 eggs are expected to hatch within the next few weeks.
Click here to read about a crocodile captured in a South Florida neighborhood.
Like sea horses, baby sea dragons eggs are deposited onto the father’s tail by the female, according to SeaWorld Orlando. The eggs are then fertilized and remain incubating on the father for five to nine weeks.
The newborn animals will feed by absorbing the remainder of the egg sac or by eating zooplankton from the water, and will then move on to brine shrimp.
Sea dragons are found in waters off of Australia, but their numbers have dropped since the 1980s, the park said.
Click here for more local news.
