Banded Sea Snake Facts

Banded Sea Snake Facts - Venom

 

There are over fifty species of banded sea snakes. Some of the sea snakes produce venomous poison that can be lethal to human. Majority of the sea snakes are not aggressive unless you severely mistreat it. On average the sea snake can produce 10 – 15 milligrams of venom with one bite strike. If it injects 15 mg of venom, the victim may die immediately due to the speed of the poison spreading in the blood system. Black banded sea snake kraits are known to be extremely poisonous. They often remain in the reefs for a long time to hunt for prey. When they spotted a prey, they would bite and inject the poison so that it becomes paralyzed.
Poisonous banded sea snakes are usually found on the island of Fiji. Banded sea snakes are amiable and don’t bite human unless they are threatened. Sea snakes look similar to the eels so they are often mistaken for each other. For example, the myrichthys colubrinus eel has banded stripes on its skin which cause it to have similar appearance with the banded sea krait (Laticauda colubrina).

 

Banded Sea Snake Facts – Size and Habitat

 

The sea snake can grow up to 2 m in length. They had a blunt head. Their bodies are covered with scales and they have a flattened tail. The sea snakes are widely distributed in the tropical indo pacific ocean. They like to lurk around the coastal waters of the islands and barrier reefs. The pelagic sea snake, also known as pelamis platurus spend most of their time in the ocean. Sometimes, the sea snake can venture hundreds of kilometer off shore.

Banded Sea Snake Facts - Food Source

 

The primary food sources of the sea snakes include small fishes, squids, octopus and shell fish. Banded sea snakes like to hunt their prey in crevices of the barrier reef because they are slow swimmers. Due to their slow speed, they are unable to chase the fish. Baby sea snakes rely on the sand smelts and sand perches as food in order to survive. As the baby sea snakes grows older, it will switch its taste to prey such as the surgeonfish and damselfish. Since young sea snakes that are newly hatched cannot swim speedily, they must always ambush themselves amongst the coral so that they will not be hunted by larger predators.

 

Banded Sea Snake Facts - Breeding

 

One interesting banded sea snake fact is that it don’t have gills like fish so that they cannot stay underwater for a long period of time. To maintain the appropriate oxygen level, they must resurface to the water from time to time to breathe in air. Most sea snakes give birth to their young alive. Some sea snake such as the black and white sea krait will come to the shore to lay eggs during the breeding season.