Sea Snakes explained #10. There are 69 Species of Sea Snakes
So far, 69 species of sea snakes have been identified. However,
given that 80 percent of the ocean is unexplored, there may be more species yet,
hiding away in the depths. These creatures may be massive in size. However, once discovered,
they will likely be sorted into the pre-existing categories of true sea snakes and sea kraits.
Unless their characteristics are so different that a new category has to be created.
True sea snakes spend the majority of their life at sea. They are a subfamily of elapid
snakes known as hydrophiinae. They are completely adapted to marine life. As such,
save for some exceptions, they are unable to move on land. They are ovoviviparous,
meaning that the eggs develop for some time within the snakes and are birthed live.
Sea kraits, on the other hand, have adaptations that allow them to survive both on land and in
water. Unlike sea snakes, they retain the wide ventral scales, which are characteristic of
terrestrial snakes. They are oviparous, meaning that they lay their eggs instantly without any
development taking place within the body. #9. Sea snakes differ from land snakes
mostly by their tails Land snakes have a tail that
tapers into a point. With sea snakes, though, they have a paddle-like tail, allowing them to
navigate within aqueous environments. But let's discuss some other physical differences.
Like sea kraits, sea snakes lack belly scales intended to help snakes crawl on land. They
are also usually flattened from side to side to provide a wider surface area for swimming.
Land snakes, on the other hand, are rounder. Then, they have salt glands for getting rid of excess
salt from the marine environment. And they also have an elongated, unvascularised portion of the
lung that goes most of their body length and is used for oxygen storage and buoyancy control.
Sea snakes typically average a length of 4.5 feet, the typical length of a power cord with
the largest ever species capable of reaching 10 feet,that s as long as a step ladder.
#8. Sea snakes are some of the oldest living creatures
In captivity, individual sea snakes have a recorded maximum lifespan of 7 years. In the wild,
if they aren't hunted down by predators such as sharks, large bony fishes, and even birds,
they may live longer. The first sea snakes began
to evolve about six to eight million years ago in Southeast Asia's Coral Triangle
In contrast, terrestrial snakes are thought to have evolved from burrowing lizards
one hundred and fifty million years ago in the Jurassic Period. While terrestrial
snakes lived through the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, sea snakes are only old enough to
have predated the existence of modern man. In any case, only one species of sea snake
the dusty sea snake is listed as endangered. Meaning that, barring any catastrophic event,
they will continue to thrive for millions more years, acquiring more
evolutionary adaptations in the process. #7. Sea Snakes do not exist in the Atlantic Ocean
As the second-largest of the world's oceans, covering 20 percent of the Earth's surface,
the Atlantic Ocean is one of the most biodiverse aquatic habitats. It contains such creatures as
great white sharks, green sea turtles, sea turtles, rays, manatees, and dolphins.
For all this biodiversity, sea snakes cannot be found in this region. Instead,
they can typically be found in warm tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and the western
Pacific Ocean. A couple of species can even be found in Oceanic and Caribbean waters.
Sea snakes are known to not like regions of high salinity. As such, they can't be found in the Red
Sea either. However, there's no specific reason why they are absent from the Atlantic Ocean.
Their distribution across the world likely has to do with where they evolved and the
absence of migratory tendencies. In spite of their marine adaptations,
sea snakes prefer shallow waters near land, around islands, and especially somewhat sheltered waters,
as well as near estuaries. They may swim up rivers and have been reported
as far as 100 miles from the sea. Some of them also inhabit marshes and swamps.
#6. Sea Snakes are Highly Venomous Land snakes developed venom to help them hunt and
protect themselves from predators. Seeing as sea snakes evolved from land snakes, they carried that
adaptation with them and then some. Sea snakes are highly venomous. The baked venom of a sea snake is
four times more deadly than that of a cobra. As deadly as this venom is, sea snakes are
typically mild-mannered . They are reluctant to bite, although some species and some individuals
form exceptions. In fact, because of their reserved temperament, local fishermen have
no problem handling them. Most encounters with sea snakes are reported by divers,
who are confused by the snakes as mates. Tim Lynch, an Australian marine biologist,
has sounded out warnings that sea snakes may attack divers in such situations.
This follows from the country's first sea snake death in 80 years when a fisherman by
the name of Harry Evans was killed by a sea snake while pulling a net onto a trawler in 2018.
Sea snake bites are typically painless but cause rapid breakdown of surrounding muscle
tissue and paralysis. Other symptoms may include headaches, thirst, swelling, and vomiting. If
untreated, death may follow soon after. #5. Sea Snakes can die of thirst
Very few creatures that live within marine environments are perfectly adapted to live there.
For example, sharks and whales have been known to drown, by getting tired of swimming and failing
to resurface for air, respectively. Seeing as sea snakes evolved from terrestrial organisms,
they are even less suited for marine environments. They have been known
to die of thirst from time to time. Sea snakes need to drink fresh water for their
bodies to continue functioning. As such, they are known to visit water bodies on land periodically
to quench their thirst. Otherwise, they also have the option of waiting for the rain to deposit
freshwater droplets on the surface of the ocean for them to lap up.
It's for this reason that sea snakes have more dense distribution in some terrestrial
environments, such as marshes and. And, once looking for water on land, they are remarkably
vulnerable and thus, become significantly more aggressive. On land, while looking for water,
they move very slowly and erratically. They also do not hesitate to bite.
#4. Sea Snakes are deep divers Sea snakes can dive deep into the ocean.
Deeper than some scuba drivers. They can reach depths of up to 800 feet when hunting for prey.
At those depths, they approach the bathypelagic zone, also known as the midnight zone. There,
temperatures average 39 degrees Fahrenheit. Sea Snakes dive into these regions in search of
prey. Most creatures at these depths, because of the absence of light, do not even have eyes.
These creatures are also adapted to slowly consume anything at all,
meaning that the sea snakes could rapidly go from predator to prey. Examples of bathypelagic
fishes include humpback anglerfish, bristlemouth fish, flabby whalefish, gulper eels, fangtooth,
Sloan's viperfish, and black swallower fish. Dangers include not just the absence of light
or the presence of dangerous play but high pressures of up to 5,800 pounds per square
inch. In any case, they mostly remain close to the surface, where it's easier to find freshwater.
They typically feed on small fish and octopi. #3. Sea Snakes Rely on Special Sensory Abilities
Terrestrial snakes are some of the best predators available. They have great vision and hearing, in
addition to chemoreception by tongue-flicking. In water, though, all these senses become distorted,
which means that the great hunting ability of most sea snakes cannot be attributed
to these senses alone. Sea snakes have powerful vision.
Their visual prowess is usually reserved for finding mates and hunting prey.
Sea snakes also have vibratory detectors. Auditory brain responses to underwater vibration
have been detected in certain species. They also use pheromones to attract both mates
and prey. And if that isn't enough, some of them have photoreceptors
on their tails, allowing them to detect light.
#2. Sea Snakes can hold their breath for a really long time
Unlike fish, sea snakes need to breathe in air to survive.
Every single species of these creatures needs to return to the surface periodically if they
are to continue to survive. This is partly what makes them vulnerable to certain sea birds.
While most sea snakes return to the surface every thirty minutes to breathe, some sea snakes can
stay submerged for up to eight hours. The reason for these long subaquatic times is because of a
special adaptation on the skin of these creatures. They can absorb a third of the oxygen they need
from their skin, as well as getting rid of 90% of their carbon dioxide in the same manner.
Subsequent generations may be able to keep this up for longer periods. Eventually,
they could become fully aquatic. #1. Sea snakes are the only
reptiles that give birth in the ocean Although most reptiles are known to lay eggs,
sea snakes give birth, and they give birth in the ocean. Their young are born live,
and sometimes, this causes them to stick together in social groups.
The reason for this is because they rarely visit land. As such,
they can't incubate their eggs as other reptiles do. As such, they incubate their snakes within
their bodies. A great advantage of this is that the young do not get picked off by predators,
unlike the eggs of other reptiles. Would you rather learn more about
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