The Shedd Aquarium announced in a press release that one of its male weedy sea dragons is now pregnant with around 70 fertile eggs, a rare occurrence that happened after a successful egg transfer. The aquarium has only seen this type of transfer one other time in its history.
“The courtship involves a dance where sea dragons mirror each other for up to 24 hours,” the press release goes on to explain the phenomenon. “Then, a female passes eggs to the male who fertilizes them once on his tail. Often, however, the transfer does not work for one reason or another.”
Seventy fertile eggs from a pregnant male weedy sea dragon | Photo by Shedd Aquarium and Brenna Hernandez
Experts at the Shedd Aquarium can determine the fertility of the eggs by spotting a yolk inside each one. While the eggs appear clear at the moment, they will gradually start to turn black as they prepare to hatch, the press release says.
Visitors to the Shedd Aquarium can see the pregnant dad within the Oceans Exhibit, though officials claim the sea dragon may move more into hiding closer to its hatch date.
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