Discover the fish family with the most monstrous species in the world

The Syngnathiformes family includes seahorses and many extremely bizarre relatives, worthy of being considered the "masterpieces" of the creator.

The black seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) is 30 years long, living in the shallow coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific. As in all seahorses, the male in this common seahorse has a ventral pouch used to incubate the eggs that the female lays in.

Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis) is 12 cm long, is a species of seahorse endemic to Plettenberg Bay and some rivers and lagoons in South Africa. This brackish seahorse, which can change color depending on the environment, is facing a high risk of extinction.

The dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae), 4 cm long, has been recorded in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean. This is the slowest moving fish in the world with the highest speed of about 152 cm/h.

The Shiho seahorse (Hippocampus sindonis), 8 cm long, is endemic to the Pacific coast in the southern part of the Japanese island of Honsu. They are also known as painted seahorses because of their vibrant, painted colors.

Spiny seahorse (Hippocampus histrix) 15-17 cm long, is a species of seahorse native to the Indo-Pacific. The body of this seahorse has rows of continuously elongated spines.

The large-bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis), 35 cm long, is found in the waters of Southeast Australia and New Zealand. They have unusually bloated bellies compared to other seahorses.

Pontohi dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi), 1.7 cm long, has been recorded in the waters east of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. As one of the smallest seahorses in the world, they have the same coloration as the algae they cling to.

Grass sea dragon fish (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) 46 cm long, commonly found on the south coast of Australia. This oddly shaped fish lurks among seaweed on rocky reefs, camouflaged with leaf-like parts of its body.

Leafy sea dragon fish (Phycodurus eques) 24 cm long, recorded from the south coast of Australia. Their body resembles the leaves of algae, they camouflage themselves from predators and small invertebrates as prey. This species can stay motionless for 68 hours.

Lembeh sea dragon fish (Kyonemichthys rumengani) is 2.6 cm long, native to the Pacific waters around Indonesia. They are camouflaged like plant debris floating on the seabed.

Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus is 18 cm long, common throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. Lurking in the coral and reef rocks, they have the typical elongated body of the lime fishes.

Schultz's cocklefish (Corythoichthys schultzi) is 16 cm long, quite common in the Indo-Pacific region. When hidden in coral reefs, this fish's body color confuses potential predators as well as prey.

The Chinese trumpet fish (Aulostomus chinensis) is 80 cm long, found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. They tail the calendula - ferocious reef predators - to grab the small fish that the magpie repels.

Razor fish (Solenostomus paradoxus) is 12 cm long, distributed in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. Their peculiar shape and color can change with the environment, making them very difficult to recognize by other animals.

Fat razor fish (Solenostomus cyanopterus) is 16 cm long, distributed in the Red Sea and tropical Indo-Pacific. Shaped like algae flakes, this fish hovers between seaweed and seagrass when it comes to small invertebrates.

The brown striped ass dancing fish (Aeoliscus strigatus) is 15 cm long, distributed in the Indo-Pacific waters. This fish disguises itself by lowering its head between the spines of the sea urchin and also swims in that position when it needs to move.