Hal Abbott, age 9, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, for his question:

HOW MANY EGGS DOES A SEA HORSE LAY?

A sea horse is a small, odd shaped fish.Its head resembles that of a tiny horse.

Sea horses mate in the spring and summer. The female lays about 200 eggs and the male keeps them in a pouch located on the underside of his body until the eggs hatch.

A sea horse is in the same family as a pipefish. You'll find many species living in tropical and temperate waters in many parts of the world. It is also called the Hippocampus, which comes from Greek words meaning "horse" and "sea monster."

The body of a sea horse can grow to be five inches longer although some species are much smaller. It has a long snout and prominent eyes. The body is covered by spiny, armorlike bony plates that protect it. It ends in a long tail which can coil around objects.

A sea horse moves about in an upright position, weakly swimming with its dorsal fin.