Systematics of sea snakes; a critical review. This has often caused the ventral scales to become reduced in size, even difficult to distinguish from the adjoining scales. Their natural habitat is where they suit the most. The true sea snakes may be oviparous (lay eggs) or ovoviviparous (live birth from fertilized eggs held within the female's body). They possess a mild temper but can get aggressive when provoked. The scales themselves may be smooth, keeled, spiny, or granular, the latter often looking like warts. Sea snakes or coral reef snakes are called as Hydrophiinae and adapted to a fully aquatic life, found in coastal waters from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. 2. They use their venom to digest their prey as it contains protein breaking enzymes. [9] Pelamis possibly would be found there were it not for the cold currents off Namibia and western South Africa that keep it from crossing into the eastern South Atlantic, or south of 5°S latitude along the South American west coast. Snakes of the World. The olive sea snakes are 4 to 5 feet long and have golden, olive, or purple-colored scales on the dorsal body with a white underside. Molecular data studies suggest all three monotypic semiaquatic genera (Ephalophis, Parahydrophis and Hydrelaps) are early diverging lineages. the pattern of bands or stripes is in such asymmetry that it confuses for which one is the base color and which one is the band color. The coral reef snakes usually feed on the small fish and fish eggs. Physical Characteristics of the Coral Reef Snakes Their scientific name which is used more than its real name is Aipysurus laevis. The most important symptoms are rhabdomyolysis (rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue) and paralysis. These snakes are considered to be more primitive, as they still spend much of their time on land, where their ventral scales afford them the necessary grip. Olive sea snakes are one of the most commonly found sea snakes on Australia’s coral reefs. Their heads are small and tails are flat. 4. Fichter GS. The species of genus Laticauda can also move on the land. These species are the longest coral reef snakes with a length ranging from 8.5 to 9.8 feet. Most are extensively adapted to a fully aquatic life and are unable to move on land, except for the genus Laticauda, which has limited land movement. 192 pp. Sea snake on coral reef. [3] Among this group are species with some of the most potent venoms of all snakes. The dark bands on their body are less than 1/3rd of the lighter interspaces. Some of them are spectacularly colored. [14], Sea snakes are mostly confined to the warm tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean,[6] with a few species found well out into Oceania. https://deepoceanfacts.com/endangered-animals-in-coral-reef They are also known as Peron’s sea snake, and the spiny-headed sea snake. Passive stretching of the muscles is also painful, and trismus, which is similar to tetanus, is common. Cladogram showing the basic evolutionary relationships among sea snakes, sea kraits and other venomous terrestrial snakes. [29] Some sea snakes inhabit mangrove swamps and similar brackishwater habitats, and two landlocked freshwater forms are found: Hydrophis semperi occurs in Lake Taal in the Philippines, and Laticauda crockeri in Lake Te Nggano on Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands. It will bite if you disturb it – all snakes will bit if they feel threatened – but the kingsnake non-venomous. Early symptoms include headache, a thick-feeling tongue, thirst, sweating, and vomiting. 1974. There are 65 species of coral snakes that can be found through the whole world. Currently, 17 genera are described as sea snakes, comprising 69 species. Red touches yellow, kills a fellow. They are found active at any time of the day and night. The Coral Reef snakes are a beautiful creature of nature. Also, some species appear intolerant of handling, or even being removed from the water. The coral reef snakes can live a life of 7 years in captivity. US Govt. They like marine habitats, shallow water near lands, streams, rivers, and water around the islands. [31], Bites in which envenomation does occur are usually painless and may not even be noticed when contact is made. 870 pp. The banded sea krait is a sea snake that lives on coral reefs in the eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans. Campbell JA, Lamar WW. spiny-headed sea snake or horned sea snake, spine-bellied sea snake, Shaw's sea snake, Southeast Asian and Indo-Australian waters, from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, and northeast to the coastal region of, Graham JB, Lowell WR, Rubinoff I, Motta J. Some species with length up to 6.5 and even 9 feet have also been recorded in some rare cases. [3] It extends from the east coast of Africa, from Djibouti in the north to Cape Town in the south,[26] across the Indian Ocean, the Pacific, south as far as the northern coast of New Zealand,[25][27] all the way to the western coast of the Americas, where it occurs from northern Peru in the south (including the Galápagos Islands) to the Gulf of California in the north. Sea snakes belong to the family of cobras. The Coral Reef snakes are shy and reluctant species that avoid encountering humans and large animals. Snakebites in Central and South America: Epidemiology, Clinical Features, and Clinical Management. The former one has three genera. [7] The one exception is the genus Laticauda, which is oviparous; its five species all lay their eggs on land. [9], Vision, chemoreception (tongue-flicking), and hearing are important senses for terrestrial snakes, but these stimuli become distorted in water. 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