What is a yellow bellied sea snake?
The yellow bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus) is a venomous species of snake from the subfamily Hydrophiinae (the sea snakes) found in tropical oceanic waters around the world except for the Atlantic Ocean.
What does a yellow bellied sea snake look like?
The yellow-bellied sea snakes belong to the family Hydrophiidae, and are characterized by very small abdominal scales, or longitudinally split into 2 narrow and long scales, hexagonal or nearly square dorsal, inlaid arrangement, with 2-3 nodules in each of the lowermost rows Section; lines 49-67. The head is narrow and the muzzle is markedly long. The total length is 7090cm. The back is black and the ventral is yellow; the two colors of yellow and black are distinct on the side of the body, and there may be deep yellow longitudinal stripes at the alternate places. The tail has dark spots or even irregular wavy lines.
Distribution and habitat
The yellow-bellied sea snake is one of the most widely distributed snakes in the world.[19] It is completely pelagic and is often observed on oceanic drift lines, using surface currents and storms to move around the ocean. Their distribution appears to be largely determined by favourable water temperatures, oceanic currents and recent formation of land bridges that have blocked farther dispersal.
The yellow-bellied sea snake has an extensive distribution covering the entire tropical Indo-Pacific, as well as extending to Costa Rica, southern California, and northern Peru. It is the only sea snake to have reached the Hawaiian Islands. The favoured habitat for hunting and reproduction includes free floating mats of sea kelp occurring in the Indian Ocean. The species is the most commonly beached sea snake on the coast of Southwest Australia, including records at beaches near metropolitan areas. It is also reported from Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia).
The yellow-bellied sea snake is an ovoviviparous snake that reproduces in warm oceans, and the female snake’s gestation period is about 6 months.
Yellow-bellied sea snakes secrete neurotoxins and are often used to hunt fish. There have been no reports of humans being poisoned by its bite and causing death. The yellow-bellied sea snake is found in the Pacific Ocean, and it is the only sea snake among the many sea snakes that can be found in the Hawaiian Islands.
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