The male is the 'tailing' with the twin folds below the vent, resembling bomb doors on an aircraft. The folds of the skin occupy the middle third and during the 'brooding' of the young they swell in size until the young are released from the pouch at a size of 22 mm to 35 mm. The Greater Pipefish is found all around the British Isles and in the whole of the Mediterranean Sea. They have a voracious appetite for live food of mysids and small prawns. The Greater Pipefish is able to jump out of uncovered aquaria .
Propulsion is by undulations of the small dorsal fin.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to discover any of these fish from the south Wales coast. I would be interested to hear of reports from other rockpoolers. This pipefish is caught in the Thames estuary and displayed at the London Zoo Aquarium where the fish looks very much like the Greater Pipefish apart from the distinctive broad snout. If you have ever seen a Greater Pipefish, the two species could not possibly be confused. The Snake Pipefish can be easily recognised because, as its name suggests, it looks like a snake.