Banded Sea Snake

( Laticauda colubrina )

More scientifically referred to as Banded Sea Krait, the Banded Sea Snake is found throughout tropical Indo-Pacific waters. It has distinctive black stripes and yellow snout, and uses its paddle-like tail to swim. They are semiaquatic, spending half their time in the ocean and half on land. The snakes hunt underwater, but return to shore to rest, digest, and reproduce. Because of its dual lifestyle, it regularly encounters humans. Although the snake is not aggressive it should be avoided, as it possesses a very potent neurotoxin venom which is uses to immobilise prey of fish and eels. Bite symptoms include lethargy, convulsions and paralysis. Females are larger than males, with an average body length of 1.4m in length (56 inches) compared to a male averaging 0.8m. Their size determines their appetite. The larger females prefer to dive deep to hunt for the larger conger eels, while the smaller males forage in the shallows for smaller moray eels. Females swim slower than the males, and during courtship a male will escort and intertwine a single female, with copulation lasting around two hours.