Surprised fisherman discovered the 9cm long baby seahorse in their nets while trawling for oysters in the Solent.

The short snouted seahorse is indigenous to British waters but rarely spotted.

Experts at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Southsea, Portsmouth are caring for the creature, which has been given a special tank to help it recover from its capture.

'Traumatic'

Keeper Marcus Gunter said: "It was quite traumatic for the seahorse to be caught in the oyster dredger, so we're keeping him in quiet surroundings without visitors banging on the side of the tank for a little while.

"When we are happy he is ready to go on display we'll bring him out."

Soon staff hope to breed the creature - which is male - if a mate can be found in the wild or at another aquarium.

The short snouted seahorse - Latin name Hippocampus Hippocampus - is one of only two seahorse species found in Britain.