British Sign Language Glossaries of Curriculum Terms

BSL Marine Glossary - Worm Pipefish - definition

Translation:

Hi! I'm here at Flushing Beach in Cornwall to tell you about the Worm Pipefish. Whilst it looks more like a worm, it is in fact a fish. With a long, thin body measuring 15cm in length and just 1cm in diameter, it does have one obvious fish-like feature - a tiny dorsal fin. Their upturned snout is similar to that of a seahorse, and they have beautiful markings around the eyes and a slender green body, Worm Pipefish are found in rock pools and seagrass beds along the southwest shores of England and Ireland.

Worm Pipefish are carnivores, feeding on small crustaceans and copepods. They have no teeth, instead sucking in food through their tubular snout. Unlike seahorses, which carry their eggs in a pouch, the female Worm Pipefish transfers her eggs to the male, who carries them in a shallow groove on his belly.