Sunday, May 5

The colubrine sea krait – a pretty sea killer.


A pretty sea killer.

The colubrine sea krait or Banded sea snake is a species of sea snake found in tropical Indo-Pacific oceanic waters. It is a member of the Laticauda genus of sea snakes.

Beautiful sea snake.It is found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is common around East India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Borneo, Vietnam, Philippines, Nicobar Islands, Coastal Taiwan, Bay of Bengal, New Guinea, Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Mexico, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Adult females are about 56 inches in length with males being only about 35 inches in length. It has a short head, thick trunk, and no easily discernible neck. The tail is simply extended skin, spread wide like a fin, and unsupported by any projection. They are light or dark bluish gray above, yellowish below, with uniformed width black bands throughout, sometimes narrowing on the belly.  Massing together near the shore, they breed between narrow cracks in the reef and in caves. It is a nocturnal snake, rarely seen during the day but it requires oxygen to breathe.


Though the snake is too slow to catch fish in a straight chase but these snakes are also very dangerous and can kill people if someone gets bitten. Their venom is ten times stronger than that of a cobra, making them extremely dangerous. They are known to cause a rash on the attacked area, which consists of small little bumps.

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