It is not every day you stumble across the rare Ruby seadragon but for one Denmark local, Annika Engstrom, the perfectly intact specimen was a lucky find in March 2022.

 

Annika spotted the colourful creature on the sand directly in front of the Denmark Surf Club and caught the eye of Bernie Wong who was on lifeguard patrol and who instantly recognised it as a Ruby seadragon.

 

The Ruby seadragon (Phyllopteryx dewysea) was discovered and identified as a new species in 2015 by a team that included the WA Museum’s marine molecular biologist Dr. Nerida Wilson.

 

Named for its unusual bright red colouring, the Ruby seadragon is only the third species of a seadragon ever recorded in the world and is only known to live along Western Australia’s temperate coast.

 

Realising the significance of her find, Annika contacted the WA Museum to discuss donating it with Dr. Wilson, who manages the Museum’s Molecular Systematics Unit.

 

“We are still trying to build up a better picture of the genetics of this wonderful species. I was very pleased to see such an undamaged specimen had been found. Most other specimens have tumbled around in the surf for a while before anyone sees them,” said Dr. Wilson.

 

“Finds like these from the public can be very beneficial for research. Hopefully this one will provide new DNA data to better understand how genetically diverse populations of this species are.”

 

Due to the deep habitat of the Ruby seadragon, sightings of this species are extremely rare, and many mysteries still exist around seadragons. Annika’s find has now been donated to the WA Museum Collections and Research Centre. The more we can learn about these beautiful creatures, the better we can understand how to protect them and their habitats.

 

To find out more about seadragons, visit our Wild Life gallery or click here to read about the discovery.