Research

Are pot-bellied seahorses declining in the waters of Tāmaki Makaurau? Most people don't even know that we have a native seahorse- but we do! The manaia, or pot-bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis) occurs throughout New Zealand and southern Australia, and it's the biggest seahorse species in the world with some measuring up to 30 cm in total length. Manaia live in sheltered bays and estuaries throughout the country, using their prehensile (grasping) tails to hold onto se