Today, I visited the aquarium at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco.
There were hundreds of sea creatures on display: fish, sharks, turtles, jellyfish—you name it, they had it.
But among them all, one stood out to me—the seahorse.
Perhaps it has been a while since I’ve seen a real seahorse, or maybe I’ve never seen one (although I find this difficult to believe). Either way, I could not stop watching them, mesmerized by their delicate and stunning nature.
As I watched them, I realized how bizarrely unique they are. Little dorsal fins fluttered back and forth like a hummingbird's wings. Their tails wrapped around the nearest reef, grasping tightly for stability. They huddled around each other like a group of friends convening for lunch, never straying too far from the group.
I appreciate the seahorse because in my mind, they symbolize the beauty of uniqueness.
Yes, they are fish (I had to look it up afterwards), but they are quite different from most other fish. Their bodies stand upright, they sport a snout instead of a mouth, and they possess a prehensile tail used for gripping onto things. They have a simple digestive system without a proper stomach, meaning they must eat constantly. They are not fast swimmers, and they prefer to stay put in one location rather than traveling far distances. And, to top off their peculiar nature, the male seahorses are the ones who get pregnant and give birth. They are the only animal on the planet that reproduces this way.
But despite all of this weirdness, this is precisely what makes them special. Sometimes our differences work against us (I’m looking at you, Green Moray Eel), but sometimes they culminate into something remarkable.
Because, believe me, nothing at the aquarium was quite as charming as the seahorse.
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Today, I visited the aquarium at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco.
There were hundreds of sea creatures on display: fish, sharks, turtles, jellyfish—you name it, they had it.
But among them all, one stood out to me—the seahorse.
Perhaps it has been a while since I’ve seen a real seahorse, or maybe I’ve never seen one (although I find this difficult to believe). Either way, I could not stop watching them, mesmerized by their delicate and stunning nature.
As I watched them, I realized how bizarrely unique they are. Little dorsal fins fluttered back and forth like a hummingbird's wings. Their tails wrapped around the nearest reef, grasping tightly for stability. They huddled around each other like a group of friends convening for lunch, never straying too far from the group.
I appreciate the seahorse because in my mind, they symbolize the beauty of uniqueness.
Yes, they are fish (I had to look it up afterwards), but they are quite different from most other fish. Their bodies stand upright, they sport a snout instead of a mouth, and they possess a prehensile tail used for gripping onto things. They have a simple digestive system without a proper stomach, meaning they must eat constantly. They are not fast swimmers, and they prefer to stay put in one location rather than traveling far distances. And, to top off their peculiar nature, the male seahorses are the ones who get pregnant and give birth. They are the only animal on the planet that reproduces this way.
But despite all of this weirdness, this is precisely what makes them special. Sometimes our differences work against us (I’m looking at you, Green Moray Eel), but sometimes they culminate into something remarkable.
Because, believe me, nothing at the aquarium was quite as charming as the seahorse.
