Save our leafy seadragons

Leafy seadragon

Leafy seadragons (Phycodurus eques) are a species of seahorse that are endemic to the temperate southern waters of Australia. This species of seadragon is the marine emblem of South Australia!

Its majestic shape and colours attract large numbers of scuba divers from all over the world. The largest number of sightings are from a single region, i.e. the Gulf St. Vincent (South Australia). Although the leafy seadragon is widely known by the public, we hardly know anything about their behaviour and ecology. Unfortunately their populations are declining due to unknown reasons.

Honours projects to study the leafy seadragon are available for scuba divers and non-scuba divers.

In brief:

  • Scuba divers: Projects are available to perform field work (scuba diving) in the Gulf St. Vincent to study the behaviour and ecology of the leafy seadragon.
  • Non-scuba divers: Projects are available to perform laboratory work using existing data to study the behaviour and ecology of the leafy seadragon.

Please drop by my office for further details and to discuss possible projects.


 

Ivan Nagelkerken

Supervisor

Professor Ivan Nagelkerken

Research area:
Marine ecology - climate change effects on fishes

Recommended honours enrolment:
Honours in Ecology and Environmental Science

Tagged in Honours projects - Ecology and environmental science, Honours projects - Ivan Nagelkerken