Banded Sea Krait

Laticauda colubrina

Body with 20 to 65 black bands, snout and upper lip yellowish.

Size : 150 cm

Habitat : Species most commonly sighted by divers in its distribution area. Belongs to the Hydrophiinae sea snakes. Very strong poison available in large quantities. Feeds exclusively on moray eels, for large examples it can take about 15 minutes before they succumb to the poison. Is generally extremely unagrassive to humans – however, do not touch, do not provoke.

Distribution : Sri Lanka and Indies to SW Japan and Tonga.

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Chordata

CLASS

:

Reptilia

ORDER

:

Squamata

FAMILY

:

Elapidae

GENUS

:

Laticauda

SPECIES

:

Laticauda colubrina

Other Information

Poisonous?

Very venomous. Its venom is highly toxic and can cause paralysis, respiratory failure, and even death in humans if not treated promptly.

Aggressive or Danger to Human?

However, sea kraits are typically not aggressive towards humans and will only bite when threatened or provoked.

Population Status

Least Concern (LC)

PHOTO COLLECTION

Reference

  1. inaturalist.org
  2. Reef Fishes of the Indo-Pacific. Book by Matthias Bergbauer and Manuela Kirschner