Sea Dragon

The leafy sea dragon is found only in the waters of Australia from Kangaroo Island on the Southern shoreline to Jurien Bay on the Western shoreline. It was once thought to be very limited in its range; however, further research has discovered that the sea dragon will actually travel several hundred metres from its habitat, returning to the same spot using a strong sense of direction. They are mostly found around clumps of sand in waters up to 50 metres (164 feet) deep, hiding among rocks and sea grass. They are commonly sighted by scuba divers near Adelaide.
In captivity
Due to being protected by law, obtaining sea dragons is often an expensive and difficult process as they must be from captive bred stock, and exporters must prove their broodstock were caught before collecting restrictions went into effect, or that they had a license to collect dragons. To date, only the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee has been able to breed the leafy sea dragon. It first succeeded in doing so in 2003. Sea dragons have a specific level of protection under federal fisheries legislation as well as in most Australian states where they occur.