68x68mm Square full colour printed magnet. ‘WEEDY SEADRAGON’. 100% Tasmanian Made. (c) Annie Fitz – Art Magnet Range 2025.
The weedy seadragon’s leaf-like appendages resemble the swaying kelp fronds found in their habitat. They drift gracefully around seaweed beds and seagrass meadows relying on camouflage and stealth to approach their unsuspecting prey. Feeding on tiny crustaceans and other zooplankton, weedys suck prey into the end of their long tube-like nose. Specially developed muscles and bones allow them to generate a lot of suction. Lacking a caudal (tail) fin, weedies must rely on their ventral (belly) and dorsal (upper) fins for swimming. Because of their limited swimming capabilities, each year a number of individuals are found washed ashore on the beaches of southern Australia.
Weedy seadragons are one of the few species in the world whose males take care of the eggs. Females lay up to 250 eggs on the inside of the males’ tail, and he carries them with him until they hatch. Weedy seadragons are very shy creatures, and seeing one is a special experience. Most sightings in Tasmania occur near Bruny Island, but they are also regularly sighted in the Derwent Estuary on rocky reefs between Kingston and Blackmans Bay. The disappearance of kelp forests is a big threat to these special creatures, which may become endangered in the near future.
