Common Seahorse vs Cramp Balls

Hippocampus kuda compared with Daldinia concentrica

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Seahorse	Cramp Balls
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fish)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Perciformes (Perch-like Fish)	Xylariales (Xylariales)
Family	Pomacentridae (Clownfish & Damselfish)	Hypoxylaceae
Genus	Amphiprion (Clownfish)	Daldinia
Species	Hippocampus kuda	Daldinia concentrica

Conservation Status

Common Seahorse

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Cramp Balls

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Seahorse	Cramp Balls
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	5 years	—
Average Length	17 cm	—
Average Weight	10 g	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Seahorse

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Philippines. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cramp Balls

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.