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Rare Weedy Seadragons Hatched At Monterey Bay Aquarium

PACIFIC GROVE (CBS SF) -- A brood of weedy seadragon babies finished hatching last week at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, aquarium officials said.

The fish, a native of the eastern coasts of Australia, is closely related to seahorses, pipefish and leafy seadragons, according to the aquarium.

The father held the pouch of eggs under his tail after their roughly six-week gestation period. The 80 eggs started hatching on July 22 and finished on Thursday, aquarium officials said.

The hatchlings are 1-inch long, but on average grow to be about 18-inches long.

The male, who receives the eggs from the female, changes his swim pattern in the wild to distribute the eggs over a larger area once hatching begins, aquarium officials said.

The Monterey aquarium became the fifth in the nation and North American region to successfully hatch the fish.

Although not classified as threatened in the wild, the seahorse-like fish are considered vulnerable because of over-collecting for home aquariums.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed)

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