Night divers in Cork make rare sighting of long-snouted seahorse
Divers in County Cork, Ireland, have captured rare video footage of a long-snouted seahorse in its natural habitat. This is believed to be the first time a wild seahorse has been filmed in Irish waters, where sightings are historically extremely rare.
Why it matters
The discovery provides valuable data for marine biologists studying biodiversity and the migration patterns of marine species in the North Atlantic.
A rare sighting of a live long-snouted seahorse in Irish waters was made by a group of divers in Co Cork.
The seahorse was discovered by a group of divers night diving in the seagrass beds at Oysterhaven, Co Cork, on Monday evening.
They captured the finding on video, and it is believed to be the first time a wild seahorse has been filmed in Irish waters.
According to the National Biodiversity Data Centre, there are eight previous sightings of seahorses in Irish waters, with most occurring more than 100 years ago. The earliest took place in 1837, with the most recent in 1956.
Seven sightings were of the short-snouted seahorse, and the other was of a long-snouted seahorse, which was made earlier this year in Co Cork. However, it was found dead along the Ballynamona Strand.
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