KYRIE KERR PD.7 PAGE 1 Information The leafy sea dragon is endangered because of pollution and industrial runoff as well as collection by fascinated divers who are entranced by their unique appearance. In response to these dangers they have been officially protected by the Australian government. You have to have a special license to collect them. It is illegal to export them without a permit. The leafy sea dragon has a long, pipe-like snout that it uses to feed. It primarily eats crustaceans including plankton and mysids, but its diet also includes shrimp and other small fish. It catches its prey using its camouflage ability. Leafy sea dragons oddly enough do not have teeth, which is rare amongst animals that eat small fish and shrimp. They are secondary consumers. They are not eaten by anything because they are camouflaged and they have a hard bony covering. Leafy Sea Dragon The Leafy Sea Dragon is an Endangered Species. Its Phyla is Chordata and its Class is Actinopterygii. Some distinguishing characteristics of its Phyla are that they include vertebrates, with several invertebrates. They are united by having at some point in their life a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, an endostyle, and a post -anal tail. Some characteristics of its Class are that they are ray-finned fishes. They are called Actinopterygii because they possess lepidotrichia or “fin rays”. Their fins being webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize the class Sarcopterygii. They are the dominant class of vertebrates with nearly 30,000 species. They are found in shallow temperate waters in southern and western Australia. They are found in clumps of sand in water 50 meters deep, hiding among rocks and sea grass. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEAFY SEA DRAGON The leafy sea dragon is closely related to a sea horse, a pipefish, and the weedy sea dragon. They are located in southern and western Australia. Their habitat is that they are found in the waters of Australia from the Kangaroo Islands on the Southern shoreline to Jurien Bay on the Western shoreline.