By Kira Krall
Of all the mythical creatures out there, dragons are without a doubt the coolest.
While we don’t have any legit aquatic dragons swimming around, we do have a couple species of sea dragons out there in the great big blue.
Behold, the Leafy Sea Dragon (Phycodurus eques)!
At about 8-20 inches long, this relative of the seahorse lives only off the southern coast of Australia (why does Australia get all of the cool stuff?). They come in all kinds of colors.
And they are REALLY good at camouflaging themselves. Is it an animal? Is it seaweed? Is it coral? Who knows? I sure don’t.
Let’s play “find the sea dragon” I lose a lot more than I’d like to admit.
Leafy sea dragons are crazy cool, and you can see them at aquariums like Monterey Bay and The Florida Aquarium.
But wait, there’s more!
Behold, the Weedy Sea Dragon! (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus)!
photo via WorldMostAmazingThings.com
The Weedy Sea Dragon is kind of like the leafy sea dragon’s less dramatic cousin. They share the same habitat as the laefy sea dragon and can only be found off the southern coast of Australia.
photo via: AustralianGeographic.com
Unlike the Leafy Sea Dragon, they’re not the greatest at camouflage. But they’ve got stripes, spots, and ALL kinds of different colors.
So while we may not have fire-breathing, Khaleesi-style dragons, we do have some pretty fantastic beasts in the world.
But let’s not forgot the OG sea dragon.
Good ol’ Nessie.