Britain’s stormy seas whipped up a mystery yesterday after a pregnant male SEAHORSE was found in a country lane – a quarter of a mile INLAND.
The rare 10cm creature was discovered floundering in the middle of a road around 500 yards from the ocean.
Experts suspect it could have been hurled ashore by a giant wave – or scooped up by a seagull then dropped from a huge height.
Claire Roberts, 28, was walking her dog on the Channel Island of Guernsey when she spotted the hippocampus seahorse slumped on the tarmac.
She noticed its tiny tail moving and realised it was still alive and scooped the fish up and raced home and popped it into a glass of sea water.
Claire transferred it into a bucket and headed to Guernsey Aquarium where shocked staff carefully placed the seahorse it into a oxygenated tank to recover.
They also revealed the seahorse was pregnant and was actually a male.
Amazingly, seahorses are poor swimmers and are the only creature where the male becomes pregnant and carries the offspring instead of the female
Claire said: “He was about the same size as my palm and a sandy colour. He has got a swollen belly and so may have babies in there, which is nice.”
Aquarium owner Dave Miller said it was impossible to say how the fish – now named Raymond – came to be so far inland.
He said: “How it came about where it was I just don’t know. I have heard about raining frogs, but I have never heard of seahorses.
“It could have been dropped by a seagull that had flown over or even if a fisherman drove along and had crab pots in the back.”
The aquarium will now look after the seahorse – the only one it has. They normally live in beds of sea grass.
Mr Miller added: “Seahorses normally pair for life. This one split from its partner and the chances of finding it are impossible.
“We will give it the best care from here and hopefully after all the trauma it’s been through it will be okay.”
