Facts About the Dwarf Seahorse

Facts About the Dwarf Seahorse The dwarf seahorse  (Hippocampus zosterae)  is a small seahorse  found in the Western Atlantic Ocean. They are also known as little seahorses or pygmy seahorses.   Description: The maximum length of a dwarf seahorse is just under 2 inches. Like many other seahorse species, it has a variety of color forms, which range from tan to green to almost black. Their skin may be mottled, have dark spots, and covered in tiny warts. These seahorses have a short snout, and a coronet on top of their head that is very high and column-like or knob-like in shape. They may also have filaments extending from their head and body.   Dwarf seahorses have 9-10 bony rings around their trunk and 31-32 rings around their tail.   Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ActinopterygiiOrder: GasterosteiformesFamily: SyngnathidaeGenus: HippocampusSpecies:  Zosterae Habitat and Distribution Dwarf seahorses live in shallow waters populated with  seagrasses. In fact, their distribution coincides with the availability of seagrasses.  They may also be found in floating vegetation. They live in the Western Atlantic Ocean in southern Florida, Bermuda, Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico. Feeding Dwarf seahorses eat small crustaceans  and tiny fish. Like other seahorses, they are ambush predators, and use  their long snout with a pipette-like motion  to suck in their food as it passes by. Reproduction The breeding season for dwarf seahorses runs from February to November. In captivity, these animals have been reported to mate for life. Dwarf seahorses have a complex, four phase  courtship ritual that involves color changes, performing vibrations while attached to a holdfast. They may also swim around their holdfast. Then the female points her head upward, and the male responds by also pointing his head upward. Then they rise up into the water column and intertwine tails.   Like other seahorses, dwarf seahorses are ovoviviparous, and the female produces eggs that are reared in the males brood pouch.  The female produces about 55 eggs which are about 1.3 mm in size. It takes about 11 days for the eggs to hatch into miniature seahorses which are about 8 mm in size.   Conservation and Human Uses This species is listed as  data deficient  on the  IUCN Red List  due to a lack of published data on population numbers or trends in this species. This species is threatened by habitat degradation, especially because they rely on such shallow habitat.  They also are caught as bycatch  and caught live in Florida waters for the aquarium trade. In the U.S., this species is a candidate for listing for protection under the Endangered Species Act. References and Further Information: Irey, B. 2004. Hippocampus zosterae. Animal Diversity Web. Accessed September 30, 2014Lourie, S.A.,  Foster, S.J., Cooper, E.W.T. and A.C.J. Vincent. 2004. A Guide to the Identification of Seahorses. Project Seahorse and TRAFFIC North America. 114 pp.Lourie, S.A., A.C.J. Vincent and H.J. Hall, 1999. Seahorses: an identification guide to the worlds species and their conservation. Project Seahorse, London. 214 p.  via FishBase, September 30, 2014.Masterson, J. 2008. Hippocampus zosterae. Smithsonian Marine Station. Accessed September 30, 2014.NOAA Fisheries. Dwarf Seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae). Accessed September 30, 2014.Project Seahorse 2003.  Hippocampus zosterae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. www.iucnredlist.org.  Accessed September 30, 2014.

Mixing Regular and Synthetic Motor Oils

Mixing Regular and Synthetic Motor Oils Heres a practical chemistry question for you: Do you know what happens if you mix regular and synthetic motor oil? Lets say the mechanic put synthetic oil in your car when you got your oil changed. You stop at a gas station and see you are running about a quart low, but all you can get is regular motor oil. Is it alright to use the regular oil or will you risk harming your engine by doing so? Mixing Motor Oil According to Mobil Oil, it should be fine to mix oils. This manufacturer states it would be unlikely anything bad would happen, such as a gel-forming from an interaction of the chemicals (a common fear), because the oils are compatible with each other. Many oils are a blend of natural and synthetic oils. So, if you are low on oil, dont be afraid to add a quart or two of synthetic oil if you are using regular oil or even regular oil if you are using a synthetic. You dont need to rush right out and get an oil change so youll have pure oil. Possible Negative Effects It is not recommended to routinely mix oils because the additives in different products may interact or the oils may become destabilized by the mixture. You may reduce or negate the properties of the additives. You could lose the benefits of the more expensive synthetic oil. So, adding regular oil to your special synthetic oil will mean youll need to get your oil changed sooner than you would have otherwise. If you have a high-performance engine, its possible it will be displeased if the (expensive) additives cant work the way they are supposed to. This may not damage your engine, but it wont help its performance. The Difference Between Regular and Synthetic Oil Both conventional and synthetic motor oils are derived from petroleum, but they can be very different products. Conventional oil is refined from crude oil. It circulates through the engine to keep it cool and prevent wear by acting as a lubricant. It helps prevent corrosion, keeps surfaces clean, and seals the engine. Synthetic oil serves the same purpose, but its tailored for higher temperature and pressure. Synthetic oil is also refined, but then its distilled and purified so that it contains fewer impurities and a smaller, select set of molecules. Synthetic oil also contains additives intended to help keep an engine cleaner and protect it from damage. The main difference between regular and synthetic oil is the temperature at which it undergoes thermal degradation. In a high-performance engine, regular oil is more apt to pick up deposits and form sludge. Cars that run hot do better with synthetic oil. For most automobiles, the only real difference youll see is that synthetic costs more initially but lasts longer between oil changes.