Many people regard seahorses as mythical creatures, existing in some enchanted realm where they pull Neptune's chariot or accompany mermaids on their travels. Yet these fishes do indeed exist. Mind you, the horse-like head, bony-plated body, brood pouch, and prehensile tail of seahorses makes classification rather puzzling. The name of their genus, Hippocampus, is derived from the Greek hippos for horse and campus meaning sea monster, and indicates how curious these fish must have seemed to early taxonomists. Perhaps because of their odd form, seahorses have for centuries been credited with potent magical and medicinal qualities. Unfortunately both their attractiveness and their unusual biology contribute to the seahorses' conservation problems.