On the third morning of courtship, the female's trunk becomes rounded, as she ripens the eggs in her ovary, and her ovipositor begins to protrude. Eventually the male responds to the female's pointing, and together they rise through the water. As they ascend, the seahorses face one another with their tails bent back, and the female inserts her ovipositor into the open pouch of the male and releases her eggs in a long sticky string. To transfer the whole clutch takes only about six seconds and then the pouch opening is sealed shut. The pair breaks apart and the male gently sways to settle the eggs in the pouch while both settle down on the bottom with their tails wrapped around holdfasts.
Females play no role in parental care.
Eggs are fertilized in the pouch. The developing embryos are aerated, osmoregulated, and nourished in the pouch. The hormone prolactin initiates enzymatic production of a marsupial fluid which nourishes the young in the pouch. At hatching, the young are well developed and independent and receive no further parental care. Males remate within hours of giving birth.