(Hummarøya - Sør-Trøndelag / 6 meters / 4.05.2004)

Phylum: Chordata

Superclass: Gnathostomata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Syngnathiformes

 

Norwegian: nålefisker

Pipefishes in Norwegian waters include six members of the family Syngnathidae. They all have elongated bodies, encased in bony rings. Their bodies seem stiff and many of them are poor swimmers. They trust their camouflage rather than their ability to escape from dangerous situations. Standing in a vertical position they are easily mistaken for the stem of some plant.

A single species of the centriscidae family is represented along the coast of Norway, the longspine snipefish (Macroramphosus scolopax). The well known sea horses (Hippocampinae) are rarely found along the coast of Norway.