I noticed the Eric Carle picture book Mister Seahorse at Suzanne and Erik’s house today, and it got me thinking about seahorses as fathers.
Did you know seahorse fathers carry the babies from conception to birth, not the mothers?
According to Wikipedia, “The male seahorse is equipped with a pouch on the ventral, or front-facing, side of the tail. When mating, the female seahorse deposits up to 1,500 eggs in the male’s pouch. The male carries the eggs for 9 to 45 days until the seahorses emerge fully developed, but very small. Once the young are released into the water, the male’s role is done and he offers no further care.”
It’s kind of the reverse of today’s devoted fathers. With no direct role in giving birth to babies, they sure do get involved in the daily care and feeding. Grandfathers, too. My husband babysits regularly, and can handle most anything, including diapers.
For more on seahorses, and how to protect them, check out the Sea Horse Trust, here. And if you’re up for a refresher on how increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is endangering sea creatures with spines, including the pygmy seahorse, reread my review of the climate-change movie Revolution, here.
Art: Eric Carle
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
That’s a great twist on the obligatory father’s day post! And what a great illustration from the book.
I had every intention of posting pics of the 3 fathers we celebrate (my husband, son and son-in-law), each with a kid, but the kids did not stay still for one moment, so the seahorse book was a godsend. 😉