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.
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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