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Our Mascot SPLASH

 

Introducing: SPLASH, our mascot!

Hi all! I’m the mascot and I'm a Weedy Sea-dragon!

The Weedy Seadragon is the Marine Emblem for Victoria.

Weedy Sea Dragons grow to a mature length of about 45 cm. Their name refers to the leaf-like appendages on their bodies. They use camouflage as their primary defence, and are found living among kelp-covered rocks below the low tide line at depths of about 3–50 from the central New South Wales coast to Rottnest Island, Western Australia. They have a long pipe-like snout with a small terminal mouth, feeding on small crustaceans.

Though relatively common compared to Leafy Sea Dragons, Weedy Sea Dragons are also government protected in New South Wales and Tasmania, and subject to strict export controls.

Though they are similar in appearance to sea horses, Weedy Sea Dragons do not have prehensile (gripping) tails, but rather appear to use them for steering. The beautiful colours of this sea dragon are highlighted by the iridescent blue bands along the upper body.

More importantly, the Melbourne Aquarium has had some recent success in breeding the Weedy Seadragons in Captivity.

Have a great stay, and best of luck to all paddling. If you have some spare time, come say hello in the Melbourne Aquarium!

Check out the Parks Victoria website or Wikipedia for more details.

 
Naming of the Mascot
 
20 entries were received from across Australia for the naming of our mascot for the 2012 Australian Dragon Boat Championships. There can only be one winner! SPLASH, the weedy seadragon.
 
The Organising Committee chose the winning entry based on the fact that it ties in very appropriately with the history dragon boating, ie "On learning of Qu Yuan's final act of despair the fishermen, shocked and grief stricken, rushed to their boats and paddled furiously out to try to save Qu Yuan, beating drums, splashing the water and throwing "Tsung Tze" or "Ma Chang" dumplings into the river to prevent the fish from devouring his body and to appease the spirits of the deep.
 
Congratulations to Melissa O'Brien of Victoria who wins an event T-Shirt and Cap. Melissa was unable to make Countdown Event on Wednesday 22 Feb 2012,  but we will present her prize at the awards ceremony on the first day of racing.