Animals Wildlife Seahorses Are One of the Deadliest Creatures in the Sea. Yes, Seahorses. By Jaymi Heimbuch Jaymi Heimbuch Writer California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Jaymi Heimbuch is a writer and photographer specializing in wildlife conservation, technology, and food. She is the author of "The Ethiopian Wolf: Hope at the Edge of Extinction." Learn about our editorial process Updated November 11, 2020 vojce / Getty Images Animals Wildlife Pets Animal Rights Endangered Species It's not sharks. It's not barracuda. It's not bluefin tuna. No, one of the deadliest creatures in the sea is not a species we even think of as a predator at all. It is the seahorse. Here, I'll give you a minute to absorb that. Effective Hunters Yep, the seahorse is a shockingly good hunter. It turns out the trick is in the very movements that make us think it is a harmless, cute, kind of clumsy critter. When we look at a seahorse, we see a creature that barely seems to move -- it seems to more drift, or float with the current. But that very slow movement allows it to sneak up on prey undetected, since it barely disturbs the water around it. Then with a lightening-fast movement of its head, the prey is in the seahorse's mouth before anyone but the seahorse realizes what just happened. IFLScience writes, "Copepods are speedy little creatures that can zip away from predators after sensing impending danger from movement in the water. Because seahorses move so slowly, they are able to sneak up on them virtually undetected. Once the seahorse is extremely close to the prey, it is able to jerk its head extremely quickly and consume the tiny copepod. Their odd head morphology allows this technique to be successful, because it actually doesn’t disturb the water very much, kind of like how a boat moves through a no wake zone in a lake. This approach works an astounding 90% of the time, making the seahorse one of the deadliest predators in the ocean." And fast is right. In this video you see the extremes of seahorse movement -- first moving so slow you're about to turn away from boredom and then so fast you aren't sure if you actually did see it move, you just know its prey is suddenly gone. Even in the slow-motion replay, the move is lightning fast: And a 90% accuracy?? I don't even have a 90% accuracy rate bringing home the right groceries from the store. Seahorses have clearly figured out how to make the most of their movements. And who would have thought that such gentle, slow creatures could be so mightily fast when it comes to snagging a meal. Mind-blowing. Endangered Creatures Also, now that we have your attention on these phenomenal creatures, it's a good time to mention that they are in serious danger of extinction. The first step to understanding these creatures is to learn about the biology of seahorses and why they are disappearing at the hands of humans.