Sea snake

A venomous elapid snake adapted to marine life, found mainly in warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Valved nostril: A nostril with a closing valve that limits water entry during submersion. Sea snakes close their nostrils underwater and reopen them to breathe at the surface.
Elapidae: A family of venomous snakes that includes cobras, kraits, mambas, and coral snakes. Sea snakes belong to this family of front-fanged venomous snakes.
Coral reef: A marine ecosystem built largely by reef-forming corals in warm, shallow water. Many sea snakes hunt among reef fishes and occupy reef habitats.
Yellow-bellied sea snake: A widely distributed pelagic sea snake with a dark back and bright yellow underside. It is unusual among sea snakes for living far from shore in open ocean.
Paddle-shaped tail: A laterally flattened tail that provides propulsion in aquatic animals. Its flattened shape helps sea snakes swim through coastal water.
Hydrophiinae: A subfamily of elapid snakes that includes sea snakes and many Australasian terrestrial species. Sea snakes are nested among hydrophiine elapids, not a single isolated lineage.
Bycatch: Animals unintentionally caught while fishing for other species. Trawling and other fishing practices can capture sea snakes as bycatch.
Olive sea snake: A large sea snake found around reefs and coastal waters of the western Pacific and northern Australia. Its reef-foraging behavior illustrates how sea snakes exploit complex marine habitats.
Cutaneous respiration: Gas exchange across an animal’s skin, supplementing or replacing breathing through lungs or gills. Some sea snakes absorb oxygen through their skin while submerged.
Sea krait: A semiaquatic elapid snake that hunts at sea but returns to land to rest and lay eggs. Sea kraits differ from fully marine sea snakes in their regular use of land.

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