Abstract
This underwater "monster" is unlike any other aquatic creature. Ancient sailing lore tells of the dreaded hippocampus, or "horse sea monster." When it raised its fearsome head above the waves, sailors recoiled in terror. The legendary beast's namesake, a horrifying chimera with a horse's head, a chameleon's eyes, a lobster's armor, and a monkey's tail, still lurks in the oceans today. But sailors can sleep easy-the real hippocampus is only a few inches long As ugly as a horse-chameleon-lobster-monkeyfish might sound, this bizarre animal is not really a nightmare. On the contrary, we admire its grace and beauty, and we know it by a gentler name-seahorse.