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There are about 50 species of sea snakes. They are not very
aggressive, but are very venomous,
being able to kill humans
with their lethal doses. Sea snakes can grow to over two
meters long. They have blunt
heads and flattened tails for swimming. They
differ from eels in that
they do not have gill slits but have scales.
Sea snakes of the family, Hydrophidae, range through the
tropical Indo-Pacific area, usually preferring coastal reefs.
There is also a pelagic sea snake that lives in the open sea,
sometimes hundreds of kilometers from the
nearest land. In Australia, over 32 species of sea
snakes have been identified in the waters around the Barrier
Reef ! They seem to congregate in certain
areas/places in the region about the swain Reefs. The
olive sea snake is a familiar/common
sight, being spotted there ever so often.
Sea snakes feed mainly on
fish, crabs, fish eggs and eels. They
can swallow a fish that is more than twice the diameter of their
neck. Some sea snakes are active hunters that probe crevices and
holes for prey. Most sea snakes are viviparous -- the
young/babies are born fully
developed -- although some sea snakes like the banded sea krait
come ashore to lay eggs.
Aggressive only during the mating season in the winter, the
sea snake is very curious and becomes
fascinated by elongated objects such as high-pressure
hoses. Provoked snakes can become very aggressive and
persistent, requiring repeated/many
kicks to ward them off.
Most sea snake bites occur on fishing trawlers, when the
snakes are sometimes hauled
in with the catch. Only a small
proportion/number/percentage of bites are fatal to
man, as the snake can control the amount of poison it releases. |
