hope hippocampus

i thought about seahorses today. did you know that seahorses are monogamous? also, the guys take care of the little babies while they are sill in their eggies. scientists say this is because the girlie uses twice the energy generating the eggies than the guy does incubating the egg. she would die if she had to carry them. that guy seahorse must really love that girlie seahorse to take care of all the baby eggies.

another thing about seahorses, those girlie seahorses really love to be courted around by their guys. they court for several days, even while others try to interfere. during this time they have been known to change color, swim side by side holding tails or grip the same strand of sea grass with their tails and wheel around in unison in what is known as their “pre-dawn dance”. they eventually engage in their “true courtship dance” [sexy sex!] lasting about 8 hours, during which the guys pumps water through the egg pouch on his trunk which expands and cleaves open to display an appealing emptiness.

she completes him. how nice.

but the girlie doesn't just leave after she knocks her guy up, she visits him daily for “morning greetings”. thegirlie seahorse swims over for about 6 minutes of interaction reminiscent of courtship. they change color, wheel around sea grass fronds, and finally promenade, holding each other’s tails. then, the girlie swims away until the next morning, and the guy goes back to vacuuming up food through his snout.

i would like to be danced into love like the seahorse one day; although not any time soon. maybe with something elegant and smooth like the waltz, or something spicier and vexing like the salsa.

don't worry ladies, men still dance for the attention of us beautiful women in other parts of the world:

• the basque folk dance of courtship [aurresku], in which the men perform spirited acrobatic displays for their partners; it is one of the most elaborate european folk dances of this type. it begins as a chain dance for men, in which the leader and last man break off, dance competitively, and rejoin the chain. each later dances before his partner, and finally all bring their partners into the line, which eventually breaks into a fandango for couples.
  


• cueca is the folk dance of chile, northern argentina, and peru. a courtship dance known since the period of spanish colonization, it is danced to the rapid, rhythmic music of guitars. the dancing couple pursue and retreat, pass and circle about each other, twirling handkerchiefs as they dance.

• last, but notleast there is the breakdance...oh, how it always seems to capture my heart. haha.

so, i bring it back around to seahorses. love 'emso much, i think i'll get this little guy tattooed on my left leg...and perhaps i'll find my own seahorse one day!