Sea Snakes

Sea snakes are a class of reptiles that have adapted to life in water by developing certain body traits typical of all the sea dwelling creatures. The scientific classification of sea snakes is given as follows:

Common name: Sea snake
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Sub phylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Hydrophidae or water lovers sometimes included in Elapidae
Species: Aipysurus, Enydrina, Hydrophis, Pelamis, Laticuda and so on.

General Characteristics

A fully grown sea snake has a length between 120cm and 150cm. The largest species, called Hydrophis Spiralis, can grow as long as 3 meters. They have valves inside their nostrils which close inside water. Since they frequently surface to breath, most of the sea snakes are found in shallow waters. They mostly feed on fish, fish eggs or eels. Like most snakes, they have a forked tongue, no eyelids and can't control their body temperature. The spongy tissue in their nostrils helps keep water out and they respire through their skin. The lungs are extensive and spread throughout the body. This facilitates the storage of extra air to sustain for longer periods inside water.

There are approximately 52 species of sea snakes all over the world. The evolution of sea snakes has taken place from their terrestrial counterparts, from the Australian land snakes. They have special flattened tails or paddle tails, dorsal nostrils, a boat-shaped body and also give birth to their offspring at sea. They do not posses gills like fish but can remain in water for an average of 5 hours.

Understanding Sea Snakes

A very important fact about sea snakes, is that they are extremely poisonous creatures. Barring a few, most of the types can attack at the slightest provocation, although, they are known to be a very 'reserved' species. They never attack unless provoked and avoid contact with other animals, especially humans. Once they are chafed, a sea snake can get really aggressive and sustains its attack for a long period. The venom of a typical sea snake is 2-10 times more 'effective' than that of a cobra. However, these creatures use venom to catch their prey and not for self defense. The bite of a sea snake is largely painless. Muscle ache, jaw spasm or pain in the bitten limb, are the symptoms that start developing within 30 minutes of the bite. The neuro-toxin content of the venom causes drowsiness, respiratory paralysis or blurry vision. Its mating season is winter, during which it can get really aggressive. These poisonous snakes dwell in regions where river water meets the sea. They need fresh water or extremely diluted salt water for drinking.

The pelagic sea snake or the yellow belly, is the most common type of sea snake, found in the Pacific ocean, near the coast of Madagascar and also the Hawaiian islands in America. It is also found in Australasia, with the Great Barrier Reef alone playing host to 32 species of sea snakes. Other variants have a limited habitat in the Indian and western Pacific ocean. Despite of their ability to live in the ocean, sea snakes are generally found in the coastal areas or places with shallow water. In fact, since they need fresh water, some have been spotted more than 100 km up the rivers, near the coasts. Except for one species the genus Laticauda, all other species are ovoviviparous. In some species, the neonates are almost half the size of their mothers.

Sea snakes are poached for their organs, meat and skin but aren't included in the endangered species list. Sea snakes are attracted to light and hence, easily lured by human beings.They are even considered a delicacy in the Orient. These beautiful creatures deserve to be treated with great respect as they form an integral part of the marine world.