MadSci Network: Evolution
Query:

Re: WHERE WAS THE FIRST SEAHORSE SEEN,

Date: Tue May 24 19:49:04 2005
Posted By: Matthew Champion, Staff Scientist
Area of science: Evolution
ID: 1113769821.Ev
Message:

Dani:

     As always, sorry for the delays.  Seahorses are actually antique 
organisms extending back far before humans ever appeared on Earth, let 
alone invented writing or the means to record the observation of one in 
the ocean.

     Having said that, due to DNA lineage testing and the fossil record, 
we can say that seahorses appeared on Earth about 52 million years ago.  
For reference, the first humans appeared on Earth about 4 million years 
ago, and the first life was perhaps about 4 billion years ago.

4 Million years is
4,000,000 years ago.

I was born
       30 years ago

The oldest seahorse fossils are:
52,000,000 years old 

The oldest fossils on Earth are about

4,000,000,000 years old, which is 1,000 times longer than humans have been 
here.

I cannot find any mention of the first time a seahorse was recorded as 
being seen, but it is likely antique in nature, as seahorses are found 
virtually all over the planet.  PBS had a Nova show on Seahorses once, a 
link to that information can be found below.
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/seahorse/


Age of seahorse fossils taken from:
The evolutionary history of seahorses (Syngnathidae: Hippocampus): 
Molecular data suggest a West Pacific origin and two invastions of the 
Atlantic Ocean

Teske, P. et al., Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30:2004 273-286.

Thanks for writing.  Good luck with your hobby and interest.   




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