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Sea Snakes
Found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, some species are aquatic and others amphibious. Their venom can be 10 times as lethal as that of land snakes
Sea snakes are found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and are of two quite distinct types. There are aquatic sea snakes and amphibious sea snakes. The former spend all their lives in the sea whereas the latter, which are also known as sea kraits, can come ashore; they have wide scales on their bellies that enable them to slither on land.
Aquatic sea snakes are viviparous, which means that they give birth to live young. Amphibious sea snakes lay eggs on land.
Sea snakes are reptiles, which means that they have to come to the surface to breathe, unlike fish. However, they are also able to absorb a certain amount of oxygen from the water they swallow. They also have valves on their nostrils that close when they dive into deeper water.
Sea snakes feed on fish, eels and fish eggs. They are extremely venomous (their venom is ten times as deadly as that of most land snakes) and they use that venom to stun their prey before swallowing it whole.
The illustration is of a banded sea snake, which is one of the amphibious breeds.
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