Why is the pacific seahorse's scientific name hippocampus ingens?

Answer 1

Hippo means horse in Greek and campus means monster in Greek. Ingens means huge in Latin. These seahorses are the largest species of seahorse and since they resemble horses to a degree but also look a little odd, that would explain the "horse monster" aspect of the name.

Answer 2

The scientific name "Hippocampus ingens" for the Pacific seahorse likely comes from the Latin words "hippos" meaning horse and "kampos" meaning sea monster, which is a common naming convention for seahorses due to their horse-like head and curved body. "Ingens" means large, which may refer to the size of this species compared to other seahorses.