Weedy Sea Dragon

Weedy Sea Dragon
Phyllopteryx Taeniolatus

An unlikely little dragon drifting through the kelp, all rust-red, gold and flashes of violet. Its body is covered in tiny yellow speckles, while purple-blue bands gather around the neck and its long snout stretches forward with almost comical seriousness. Leafy fins sprout from its back and tail, making the whole fish look as though it has spent its entire life trying to become a piece of seaweed and never quite finished the job.

• Size: Up to around 45 cm
• Range: Southern Australia, from New South Wales around the southern coast to southwestern Western Australia and Tasmania
• Habitat / Depth: Kelp forests, rocky reefs, seaweed beds and seagrass meadows, from shallow water to around 50 m; most often found in shallower coastal waters
• Diet: Feeds mainly on mysid shrimp and other small crustaceans, plankton and fish larvae

Photo by Scott Portelli