And they’re off: seahorses reach Thames

For 18 months it has been a closely guarded secret. Seahorses, the exotic creatures from tropical waters, are alive and well in the Thames estuary.

The fish once thought to pull Neptune’s chariot in some enchanted realm can do the same for Old Father Thames now that the river’s waters are so much cleaner.

The Zoological Society of London discovered the colony in 2006 but decided to keep quiet until legislation could be put in place to protect the seahorses. They live in the river’s estuary, between Essex and Kent.



Scientists have greeted their arrival as an indicator of the increasing purity of the river’s water. Fifty years ago they declared the river biologically dead - killed by the pollution that was the product of industrialisation and urban growth.

Environmentalists, however, will point out that the arrival of the seahorse is also a sign of ecological changes linked to global warning.

The short-snouted seahorses in the Thames are commonly found around Africa and the Mediterranean and only occasionally near the southern coasts of Britain. Their usual habitat is shallow coastal waters rich in weeds and plant life, although they can be found as deep as 100ft.