This aquatic candy cane is called a banded pipefish. You won"t find it at the North Pole or on your Christmas tree, but in the tropical seas of the Indo-Pacific region, from Australia and Japan to the Philippines and South Africa. It"s in the same family as the seahorse, and like its cousin, the pipefish has plates of bony armor covering its body. This gives it protection, but a rigid body (like a candy cane!), so it swims by rapidly fanning its fins. Also like the seahorse, it"s the male pipefish—not the female—who carries the eggs. After an elaborate courtship dance, the female deposits her eggs in the male"s brood pouch, where they develop until the male gives birth. We"re not making this stuff up, but we can"t vouch for the theory that the red-and-white banded pipefish has a minty taste.
Swimming into the season
Today in History
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Chilling out in the Arctic
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The Cordillera de la Sal in the Cordillera Domeyko Range of Chile
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Fibonacci Day
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International Day for Monuments and Sites
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The Crown of the Continent
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Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
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Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
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In celebration of America’s national bird
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Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia
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Big sky at Big Bend
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Oh, the places you’ll go
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World Lion Day
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‘Ciao’ from Varenna
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Ukrainian Independence Day
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Mountain goats
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National Love a Tree Day
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The Vestibule at Diocletian s Palace, Split, Croatia
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Okavango Delta, Botswana
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There’s a dog in there somewhere
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Engineering an artificial harbor in Normandy
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Hispanic Heritage Month
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‘Fringe’ takes center stage as Edinburgh celebrates the arts
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Arbor Day
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To the 155th on the 155th
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Wildebeest on the move
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Grand Teton National Park
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Jerte Valley in bloom
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Manatee Awareness Month
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They’re grrrape!
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Green is the new black