Susan Kopman Lewis

To many of us they are a figure of fancy on par with the unicorn. To scientists, however, the seahorse is a fascinating object of study. Unlike other animals, in seahorses it is the male who get pregnant and gives birth. But to populations around the world, the seahorse is something else again; considered a source of sexual prowess to proponents of traditional Chinese medicine, the magical seahorse is also a crucial source of income to fishermen in the Philippines who harvest and sell them to that burgeoning trade.

To many of us they are a figure of fancy on par with the unicorn. To scientists, however, the seahorse is a fascinating object of study. Unlike other animals, in seahorses it is the male who get pregnant and gives birth. But to populations around the world, the seahorse is something else again; considered a source of sexual prowess to proponents of traditional Chinese medicine, the magical seahorse is also a crucial source of income to fishermen in the Philippines who harvest and sell them to that burgeoning trade.