Edgar Lavado, 12, peered into an aquarium in his classroom, where seahorses wafted through algae and coral reefs. He pointed to a mostly black seahorse wrapped around a black post and explained that seahorses change colors "in response to the environment."

He and his six classmates in this special education science class have learned a lot about these unusual sea creatures. This week, they shared their findings with 90 students from other classes at Mildred E. Strang Middle School who came to visit and learn.

Teacher Mario D'Auria said he designed the project to meet state learning standards while giving special education students the chance to play a lead role. "Instead of being the kids on the out, now they're the experts," he said.

For the past two years, D'Auria's sixth-graders have studied seahorses by conducting research, consulting with scientists and raising their own seahorses.

Yesterday, they showed digital pictures and videos they took of the bony fish eating and mating.

Hunter Tumminello, 11, told how to set up an aquarium for the delicate creatures. Among the supplies he listed: a dechlorinator, a heater, equipment to test chemical levels in the water — and "patience."

Despite getting "really nervous and stuff," he said afterward, "I feel really good that I'm doing really good things because I'm helping to save animals."

About 20 million seahorses are harvested from the ocean every year. They are sold for aquariums, made into souvenirs like key chains, and used in traditional medicine in China, Indonesia and other countries. The World Conservation Union lists nine of the 34 species as "vulnerable" and one as "endangered."

Their plight has prompted marine conservation groups to encourage the use of seahorses that are bred rather than taken from the ocean.

"They face a lot of the pressures that most marine life is facing, so they act as excellent flagship species for getting people interested in marine conservation," said Sarah Foster, a research biologist for Project Seahorse at the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre.

For this project, Foster and Project Seahorse co-founder and director Amanda Vincent answered e-mail inquiries from the young investigators.

Students must engage in research and real-life problem solving while using technology to gather and share information under the state's science and technology standards.

For English, students must synthesize information and communicate it through writing and speech.

By having students care for living things, D'Auria said, the project also fulfills the state requirement for "character education."

After yesterday's presentation, members of the student audience clustered around the aquariums to see up close what had so fascinated D'Auria's scientists.

They were proud of their work. Hunter said the project has been "a lot funner" than much of his schoolwork "because you have animals, and it's more hands-on than just reading out of a textbook."

Jennifer DiBellis said she won't be as scared the next time she gives a presentation "because I know I can do it."