Extremely rare seahorse discovered off the Devon coast

An extremely rare breed of seahorse has been discovered off the coast of Devon.

The Short Snouted Seahorse, also known as the Hippocampus Hippocampus, was found by experts at the National Marine Aquarium.

It was discovered as part on an ongoing review into marine life called the Community Seagrass Initiative.

The native habitat of the marine animal is off the south west coast of the UK but it is most commonly found in Mediterranean waters.

Due to environmental changes in recent years, numbers have sharply dropped and the species is now one of the most threatened in the UK.

It is currently on the list of European species which require an action plan in order to stop decline.

Mark Parry, project manager of the initiative, said he is very excited to announce their first seahorse sighting.

"We will work closely with our marine partners to fully understand the significance of the discovery, to help protect and preserve our ocean habitats for the future.”

They plan to follow up the case to establish whether it is a lone seahorse or if there are a number of them within the seagrass bed.