Research shows seahorses are the Rod Stewarts of the ocean world

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The amorous males are the aquatic equivalent of Bernie Ecclestone and Rod Stewart, who have both attracted women much taller than themselves.

The research also explodes the myth that female seahorses choose the males they think will be the ones most likely to best look after their eggs.

The study was based on the courtship rituals of the big-bellied seahorse - Hippocampus abdominalis. With the males giving birth it had been assumed the females did all the running when it came to courtship. But it appears it is the men who chase the females, and the bigger the better.

Experts believe it is because the tallest females produce the biggest offspring and they are more likely to survive.

Marine expert Paul Bullimore said: "They are making a purely practical choice. The largest female will produce the largest eggs, which are in turn likely to yield the biggest hatchlings with the biggest chance of surviving."