A NEW marine feature showcasing the two different types of seahorse found in British waters has been unveiled at Longleat.

The new display is home to two colonies of captive bred spiny and short snouted seahorses, both of which are found in the seas around the UK.

All the new arrivals were bred at a specialist facility in Portugal as part of a programme which helps conserve seahorse numbers in the wild.

As its name suggests, the spiny seahorse is covered in spine-like appendages along its head and back. The short-snouted seahorse and can be distinguished by a shorter snout and the lack of elongated protuberances.

Longleat’s Christopher Burr said: “Seahorses have proved an enduring fascination since Classical times and remain just as popular today. Our new column-shaped display allows people to get up close to these amazing fish for the very first time here.

“We’re hoping some of the new arrivals may be pregnant and we will soon be looking after a new generation of these graceful creatures.”

Marine experts now believe both species are permanent residents in UK waters and the numbers of both long and short-snouted seahorses off the south coast and around the Channel Islands may be on the increase.

Throughout the world seahorse numbers are in sharp decline due to a variety of causes including pollution, loss of habitat and over-fishing.

The seahorse display is the latest addition to the attraction’s Penguin Island which also features a colony of Humboldt penguins and an open-topped sandy seabed tank which is home to a number of rays and flatfish species.