"Sea snakes" refers to a group of reptiles that live in the ocean. They look like snakes but are different because they can swim and adapt to the water.
Full definition
Despite the good news of the find,
sea snake numbers have been declining in several marine parks, and scientists are at a loss to explain why.
Less frequently you might be lucky enough to spot barramundi, squid, octopus, hawk fish, or
banded sea snakes with a golden forehead.
The new
yellow sea snake subspecies (Hydrophis platurus xanthos) is described by Brooke Bessesen, Phoenix Zoo, USA, and Dr. Gary Galbreath, Northwestern University and The Field Museum of Natural History, USA, in the open access journal ZooKeys.
We'll also take you to the Snake Pit, one of the few places on the Great Barrier Reef where
olive sea snakes are found.
They analyzed such snakes caught in both the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea and determined that the amount of beneficial omega - 3s
in sea snakes does not vary depending on their capture location.
The bay is also known for its abundance of turtles, although I wasn't lucky enough to see one this time (read about my close encounters
with sea snakes and turtles in Gili Trawangan, Indonesia), no matter how desperate I was to catch a glimpse of one.
This is a photograph of the rare short
nosed sea snake discovered on Ningaloo reef, Western Australia.
Indo - Pacific
sea snakes living in polluted waters near industrial areas have darker bodies — perhaps because pollutants bind better to their dark skin pigment
«This discovery is really exciting, we get another chance to protect these two endemic Western Australian
sea snake species,» says study lead author Blanche D'Anastasi from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU.
«But the disappearance of
sea snakes from Ashmore Reef, could not be attributed to trawling and remains unexplained.
On this second of the three Pulau Tiga islands extremely
poisonous sea snakes come out of the sea to mate.
Multiple dives with scalloped hammerhead sharks maintained an aura of excitement on board as did the abundance of
sea snakes at the volcano knows as Manuk.
Hundreds and hundreds of
Chinese Sea Snakes Alor is well known for big fish as well as muck diving.
Cruising along a slope wall, the divers got to see a few highlights,
including Sea Snakes, Turtles, Scorpion Fish and beautiful Soft Corals.
Almost too much to take in on 10 dives let alone 1
See sea snakes sunbathing on the surface, variety of angel fish, bannerfish, cleaner shrimp, sweetlips, boxfish, fusiliers, and so much more.
The researchers also made another unexpected discovery, uncovering a significant population of the rare leaf
scaled sea snake in the lush seagrass beds of Shark Bay.
«Scientists discover
rare sea snakes, previously thought extinct, off Western Australia.»
Polluted waters may be driving
more sea snakes to go all black, a sign of an evolutionary phenomenon called industrial melanism, Susan Milius reported in «Polluted reefs may favor dark snakes» (SN: 9/16/17, p. 14).
EDINBURGH, Scotland — Pelamis platurus, otherwise known as the
Yellowbelly Sea Snake, has a new mechanical namesake, a flexible 180 - meter monster — nearly the length of two football fields.
In 2002, in Fisheries Science, they evaluated the composition of oil from the
Erabu sea snake — the source of snake oil in traditional Chinese medicine.
Carrying its petite frame and all - yellow skin, the recently
scrutinized sea snake populations from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, already seem different enough to be characterized as a new subspecies.
Various sea snakes and kraits, relatives of cobras, thrash through the water with their flattened, spoonlike tails.
Tropical fish, stingless jellyfish, and
sea snakes swum about, completely unperturbed by our presence.
The grouper had a large banded
sea snake trailing from its mouth, the snake longer than the grouper's own body.
Gigantic coral bommies create elaborate structures that provide security to many species of fish and invertebrates, while the banded
sea snake glides in between the fields of branching corals.
The majestic Uluwatu Temple gazes out across the Indian Ocean, protected
by sea snakes that slither in the cove below.
Along the way they'll ride on a magic unicorn, bounce in a bubble
over Sea Snake Lake and move to the beat in the Dancing Forest!
Keep your eyes open for spotted eagle rays and the white
banded sea snake, commonly seen on this dive site.
This Ribbon Reef site is one of the few places on the Great Barrier Reef where
olive sea snakes are found.
The discovery of the critically endangered short
nose sea snake was confirmed after a Western Australia Parks and Wildlife Officer, Grant Griffin, sent a photo of a pair of snakes taken on Ningaloo Reef to Ms D'Anastasi for identification.
Warmer - than - average sea surface temperatures offshore meant warm water species such
as sea snakes, red tuna crabs and hammerhead sharks were found on Californian beaches.
SEEING YELLOW A newly discovered
sea snake subspecies (top) is shorter — and a lot brighter — than its yellow - bellied brethren (bottom).
It's no doubt that, with a repertoire of everything from colorful coral to a
poisonous sea snake, the octopus could win any costume contest handily.
Banda Sea trips leave from and return to Ambon, and offer something for everyone,
sea snakes at Gunung Api, amazing critters in Ambon to hammerhead sharks around Banda.
An active volcano in the middle of the Sea, the place is known for its aggregation of
Chinese sea snakes, hundreds of them surround the island.
«We had thought that this species
of sea snake was only found on tropical coral reefs.
Location: about 600 meters opposite to the southern end of Bulabog Beach Access: either by boat or from the shore Experience: all divers Depth: 5 - 20 meters Visibility: up to 20 meters Current: low - moderate Characteristics: reef drift dive
with sea snakes, sea cucumbers, sea stars, moray eels, nudibranchs, anemones, soft corals, hard corals
With its very restricted geographic range of about 320 km2 located in a currently unprotected area, the
yellow sea snake is at a serious risk of extinction.