Rare Ruby Sea Dragon

Instead it was its own species named the ruby sea dragon.

Rare ruby sea dragon.

This gorgeous little nudibranch of just 2 3 inches long is packed with surprises. In 2015 we described a new species of seadragon phyllopteryx dewysea the ruby seadragon. Rare ruby seadragon caught on video for the first time. Until recently only two species of seadragon were known phycodurus eques the leafy seadragon and phyllopteryx taeniolatus the common seadragon both from australia.

A specimen found on shore in 2007 was 23 5 cm 9 3 in long. Blue dragon sea slug. The lobes of skin that grow on the leafy seadragon provide camouflage giving it the. While this was an exciting discovery a live ruby sea dragon had never been recorded neither by divers nor those in the fishing.

Although the leafy and common seadragons are well known and commonly seen in aquarium exhibits world wide the ruby seadragon was. The ruby seadragon phyllopteryx dewysea is a marine fish in the family syngnathidae which also includes seahorses it inhabits the coast of western australia the species was first described in 2015 making it only the third known species of seadragon and the first to be discovered in 150 years. These rare seadragons were captured live on camera for the first time ever in the recherche archipelago in western australia. For instance they could now study not only the ruby seadragons anatomy but their behaviors as well.

Besides the discovery being amazing in its own right there was still so much the scientists could finally learn from their incredibly rare footage.