A leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) at Kingscote jetty, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, Australia.

Classified as near threatened in the IUCN Red List due to their small geographic range and their uniqueness they are a protected species in Australia.

A weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) at Flinders Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia.

The males of the species carry the pink, fertilised eggs until hatching 8 weeks later – at which point they are left to fend for themselves.

Seadragons are distantly related to seahorses but are in fact more closely related to pipefish. Zoological classification places them in the syngnathidae family (along with seahorses, pipe-horses and pipefish), as the Latin ‘syngnathid’ refers to the fused jaws that form their distinctive, tube-like snouts.

Weedy Seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) Flinders Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia.

Juvenile weedy seadragons have all their leaf like appendages (as seen in this silhouette) but these appendages can break off as they get older and are not replaced.

A leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) at Kingscote jetty, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, Australia.

Leafy Seadragons are one of two seadragons found in Australia – and nowhere else in the world.

A leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) Location: Kingscote jetty, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, Australia.

Beautifully camouflaged they are very hard to find amongst the marine vegetation in which they inhabit.

A weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) at Flinders Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia.

Their camouflage perfectly compliments the seaweed and marine vegetation that they prefer to inhabit.

A weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) Flinders Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia.

Male weedy seadragons prepare their tails to receive the fertilised eggs by increasing blood flow to the area. The mesh like appearance of this male’s tail indicates that it is ready to receive the eggs.

A weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) at Flinders Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia.

Distantly related to seahorses, seadragons are actually closer to pipefish.

A weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) Flinders Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia.

Their camouflage perfectly compliments the seaweed and marine vegetation that they prefer to inhabit.

A weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) at Flinders Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia.

Seadragons inhabit relatively shallow coastal areas ranging between 3 to 50 metres deep.