Male seahorses give birth to up to 2,000 babies
Male seahorses uniquely carry and birth up to 2,000 tiny offspring, a remarkable reproductive strategy that challenges typical gender roles in the animal kingdom.
Defying typical animal roles, male seahorses are the ones who get pregnant and give birth. The female transfers her eggs into the male's specialized brood pouch, where he fertilizes and nourishes them for weeks. When the time comes, he undergoes contractions, expelling up to 2,000 tiny, fully formed offspring in a single, spectacular event.
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