Steve Parish

During the breeding season, which takes place from October to January along Australia's southern and western coasts, leafy sea dragons engage in a captivating mating dance. They sway their weedy-like appendages back and forth excitedly before the female passes over hundreds of tiny pink eggs to the male for fertilisation. The male then carries the fertilised eggs on his tail and incubates them for up to nine weeks. It's worth noting that all male relatives of the leafy sea dragon, including seadragons, pipefish, and seahorses, share the responsibility of egg incubation.