Greater Pipefish

Identification

A long, tube-shaped fish of 30 to 50 cm with a thin body covered in bony rings. Long, tubular snout. Greenish-brown to reddish-brown with lighter bands. Barely thicker than a pencil.

Ecology

Lives among seagrass and seaweed in shallow coastal waters. Sucks up small crustaceans and fish larvae with its tubular snout. Remarkably, the male carries the eggs in a brood pouch until they hatch.

In the Netherlands

Found along the entire Dutch coast, in the Wadden Sea, Eastern Scheldt, and Grevelingen lake. Not fished.