Male seahorses carry embryos
AI-generated conceptual natural-history illustration of a male seahorse and developing embryos in its pouch; not a documentary photograph. Generated 2026-10-29. Prompt: “Vertical 4:5 natural history illustration of a male seahorse carrying developing eggs in its sealed brood pouch, shown in a clear but tasteful cutaway schematic with embryos visible inside the pouch, underwater seagrass background. Accurate seahorse silhouette, educational museum field-guide style, realistic biological illustration. No labels, text, arrows, symbols, humans, or unsupported claims. Avoid depicting a human pregnancy analogy.”
In seahorses, the male carries developing embryos in a specialized pouch. During mating, the female transfers eggs into it and the male fertilizes them; the embryos develop in his pouch until birth. Similar male pregnancy also occurs in related pipefishes and seadragons, so seahorses are not the only animals with this reproductive arrangement.