SEA SNAKES OF THE WORLD

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS OF THE WORLD - SEA SNAKES

A Selection of

SEA SNAKES OF THE WORLD
SERPENTES (SNAKES)

TRUE SEA SNAKES

Sea Snakes are often placed in their own family, however now many experts now consider them to be in the Elapid family

All true Sea Snakes and Sea Kraits have a paddle shaped tail

All Sea Snakes and Sea Kraits all have fangs at the front of their mouths and most are believed to have extremely potent venom, however bites to humans are rare and snakes in the Emydocephalus genus are not considered dangerous due to a highly degenerated venom system!

Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Hydrophiidae)

TABLE 1 - TRUE SEA SNAKES
THESE SNAKES ARE LIVEBEARERS THAT SPEND THEIR ENTIRE LIFE IN WATER

* Indicates a new or recently updated page.

COMMON NAME	SCIENTIFIC NAME	DISTRIBUTION
Short-nosed Sea Snake	Aipysurus apraefrontalis	WA (including the Ashmore Reef region)
Reef Shallows or Dubois's Sea Snake	Aipysurus duboisii	NT, Qld, WA
Stagger-banded or Spine-tailed Sea Snake	Aipysurus eydouxii	Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia (Borneo), W Malaysia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Australia (Thursday Island, Torres Strait)
Golden or Olive Sea Snake	Aipysurus laevis	NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA
Mosaic Sea Snake or Mjoberg's Sea Snake or Brown-lined Seasnake	Aipysurus mosaicus	NT, Qld, WA
Shark Bay Sea Snake	Aipysurus pooleorum	WA
Western Turtle-headed Sea Snake (Harmless)	Emydocephalus orarius	WA (Coral Coast, Pilbara and Kimberley regions)
Eastern Turtle-headed Sea Snake (Harmless)	Emydocephalus annulatus	NT, Qld, WA (also around and some islands in the Pacific Ocean including the Philippines and the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia.
Black-ringed Mangrove Sea Snake	Hydrelaps darwiniensis	NT, Qld, WA
Belcher's Sea Snake or Faint Banded Sea Snake	Hydrophis belcheri	Northern Waters away from the coast between Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea Including the ocean in the region of Ashmore Reef (AU)
Dwarf Sea Snake	Hydrophis caerulescens	Qld, NT?
Spine-bellied Sea Snake	Hydrophis (was Lapemis) curtus	NT, Qld, WA through S.E. Asia to the Persian Gulf
Rough-scaled Sea Snake	Hydrophis donaldi	Qld (Gulf of Carpentaria)
Elegant Sea Snake	Hydrophis elegans	NSW, NT, Qld, WA, SA
Spectacled Sea Snake	Hydrophis kingii	NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA
Small-headed Sea Snake	Hydrophis macdowelli	NT, Qld, WA. also New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands and Papua New Guinea
Olive-headed Sea Snake or Greater Sea Snake	Hydrophis major	NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA
Ornate Reef Seasnake or Ocellated Sea Snake	Hydrophis ocellatus	NSW, NT, Tas, Qld, WA
Large-headed Sea Snake or Pacific Sea Snake	Hydrophis pacificus	NT, Qld
Horned Sea Snake	Hydrophis peronii	NSW, NT, Qld, WA
Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake	Hydrophis platurus platurus	NSW, NT, Qld, Tas, Vic, WA, CKI, CI, NI, LHI, SA?
Beaked Sea Snake Snakes previously recorded as this species incorrectly are Zweifel's Sea Snakes	Enhydrina schistosus THIS SPECIES DOES NOT OCCUR IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS - SEE Hydrophis (was Enhydrina) zweifeli	NOT FOUND IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS
Striped Sea Snake	Hydrophis faciatus	NT, Qld, WA
Slender Sea Snake	Hydrophis (or Microcephalophis)gracilis	Qld
Hardwicke’s Spine-bellied Sea Snake	Hydrophis (was Lapemis) hardwickii (was Curtis hardwickii) STATUS UNCERTAIN - see Hydrophis curtus	NT, Qld, WA
Small-headed Sea Snake	Hydrophis macdowelli	NT, Qld, WA. also New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands and Papua New Guinea
Black-banded or Robust Sea Snake	Hydrophis (or Mediohydrophis) melanosoma	NT(?), Qld, WA(?)
Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake	Hydrophis (was Pelamis) platurus platurus	NSW, NT, Qld, Tas, Vic, WA, CKI, CI, NI, LHI, SA?
Stoke's Seasnake	Hydrophis stokesii	NSW, NT, Qld, WA Also found in other seas including the Indian Ocean and around the Arabian Peninsula
Estuarine Sea Snake	Hydrophis vorisi	Qld (Torres Strait)
Zweifel's Sea Snake	Hydrophis (was Enhydrina) zweifeli split from Enhydrina schistosa	NT, Qld, New Guinea
Northern Mangrove Sea Snake	Parahydrophis mertoni	NT, Qld, New Guinea

SEA KRAITS

Sea Kraits are often been placed in their own families, however now many experts consider them to be in the Elapid family

Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Laticaudidae)

TABLE 2 - SEA KRAITS
THESE SNAKES ARE EGGLAYERS THAT LAY THEIR EGGS ON LAND

Scientific Name	Common Name	Distribution
Wide-faced or Yellow Lipped Sea Krait	Laticauda colubrina	NSW?, Qld, CKI may possibly occasionally wander into NSW waters
Large Scaled Sea Krait	Laticauda laticaudata	NSW, Qld may possibly occasionally wander into NSW waters

DISTRIBUTION KEY
Click on the abbreviation below to see a map of the area

CI = Christmas Island

CKI = Cocos (Keeling) Island

NSW = New South Wales

NT = Northern Territory

Qld = Queensland

SA = South Australia

Tas = Tasmania

Vic = Victoria

WA = Western Australia

NI = Norfolk Island

LHI = Lord Howe Island

ACT = Australian Capital Territory
(Canberra region only - excludes Jervis Bay Territory)

LINKS OF INTEREST

Sea Snakes of Australia
MESA

Sea Snakes
School of Biomedical Sciences

Australian Sea Snakes
Facebook

More Information about Australian Reptiles

Working with Snakes: A comprehensive information and training manual for professional Australasian snake consultants Kindle Edition

AUSTRALIAN SEA SNAKE SPECIES LISTS BY STATE OR TERRITORY


Sea Snakes of South Australia	Sea Snakes of NSW	Sea Snakes of Qld	Sea Snakes of NT	Sea Snakes of WA	Sea Snakes of Victoria	Sea Snakes of Tasmania


Reptiles of South Australia	Reptiles of Victoria	Reptiles of NSW	Reptiles of Qld	Reptiles of NT	Reptiles of WA	Reptiles of the ACT	Reptiles of Tasmania

MORE REPTILE SPECIES LISTS


Reptiles of Lord Howe Island	Reptiles of Christmas Island	Reptiles of Cocos Keeling Islands	Reptiles of Norfolk Island


Reptiles of Australia	Frogs of Australia	Reptiles of The World	Amphibians of the World

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CI = Christmas Island	CKI = Cocos (Keeling) Island	NSW = New South Wales
NT = Northern Territory	Qld = Queensland	SA = South Australia
Tas = Tasmania	Vic = Victoria	WA = Western Australia
NI = Norfolk Island	LHI = Lord Howe Island	ACT = Australian Capital Territory (Canberra region only - excludes Jervis Bay Territory)

A Selection of

SEA SNAKES OF THE WORLD SERPENTES (SNAKES) TRUE SEA SNAKES

Family Elapidae Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Hydrophiidae)

TABLE 1 - TRUE SEA SNAKES THESE SNAKES ARE LIVEBEARERS THAT SPEND THEIR ENTIRE LIFE IN WATER

* Indicates a new or recently updated page.

COMMON NAME

SCIENTIFIC NAME

DISTRIBUTION

Aipysurus apraefrontalis

WA (including the Ashmore Reef region)

Aipysurus duboisii

NT, Qld, WA

Aipysurus eydouxii

Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia (Borneo), W Malaysia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Australia (Thursday Island, Torres Strait)

Aipysurus laevis

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Aipysurus mosaicus

NT, Qld, WA

Aipysurus pooleorum

WA

Western Turtle-headed Sea Snake (Harmless)

Emydocephalus orarius

WA (Coral Coast, Pilbara and Kimberley regions)

Eastern Turtle-headed Sea Snake (Harmless)

Emydocephalus annulatus

NT, Qld, WA (also around and some islands in the Pacific Ocean including the Philippines and the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia.

Hydrelaps darwiniensis

NT, Qld, WA

Hydrophis belcheri

Northern Waters away from the coast between Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea Including the ocean in the region of Ashmore Reef (AU)

Hydrophis caerulescens

Qld, NT?

Hydrophis (was Lapemis) curtus

NT, Qld, WA through S.E. Asia to the Persian Gulf

Hydrophis donaldi

Qld (Gulf of Carpentaria)

Hydrophis elegans

NSW, NT, Qld, WA, SA

Hydrophis kingii

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Hydrophis macdowelli

NT, Qld, WA. also New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands and Papua New Guinea

Hydrophis major

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Hydrophis ocellatus

NSW, NT, Tas, Qld, WA

Hydrophis pacificus

NT, Qld

Hydrophis peronii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Hydrophis platurus platurus

NSW, NT, Qld, Tas, Vic, WA, CKI, CI, NI, LHI, SA?

Beaked Sea Snake Snakes previously recorded as this species incorrectly are Zweifel's Sea Snakes

THIS SPECIES DOES NOT OCCUR IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS - SEE Hydrophis (was Enhydrina) zweifeli

NOT FOUND IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS

Hydrophis faciatus

NT, Qld, WA

Hydrophis (or Microcephalophis)gracilis

Qld

Hydrophis (was Lapemis) hardwickii (was Curtis hardwickii) STATUS UNCERTAIN - see Hydrophis curtus

NT, Qld, WA

Hydrophis macdowelli

NT, Qld, WA. also New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands and Papua New Guinea

Hydrophis (or Mediohydrophis) melanosoma

NT(?), Qld, WA(?)

Hydrophis (was Pelamis) platurus platurus

NSW, NT, Qld, Tas, Vic, WA, CKI, CI, NI, LHI, SA?

Hydrophis stokesii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA Also found in other seas including the Indian Ocean and around the Arabian Peninsula

Hydrophis vorisi

Qld (Torres Strait)

Hydrophis (was Enhydrina) zweifeli split from Enhydrina schistosa

NT, Qld, New Guinea

Parahydrophis mertoni

NT, Qld, New Guinea

SEA KRAITS Sea Kraits are often been placed in their own families, however now many experts consider them to be in the Elapid family

Family Elapidae Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes) (Previously Family Laticaudidae)

TABLE 2 - SEA KRAITS THESE SNAKES ARE EGGLAYERS THAT LAY THEIR EGGS ON LAND

Scientific Name

SEA SNAKES OF THE WORLD
SERPENTES (SNAKES)

TRUE SEA SNAKES

Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

TABLE 1 - TRUE SEA SNAKES
THESE SNAKES ARE LIVEBEARERS THAT SPEND THEIR ENTIRE LIFE IN WATER

Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia (Borneo), W Malaysia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Singapore,
Australia (Thursday Island, Torres Strait)

Northern Waters away from the coast between Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea
Including the ocean in the region of Ashmore Reef (AU)

NT, Qld, WA.
also New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands and
Papua New Guinea

Beaked Sea Snake
Snakes previously recorded as this species incorrectly are Zweifel's Sea Snakes

THIS SPECIES DOES NOT OCCUR IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS - SEE
Hydrophis (was Enhydrina) zweifeli

Hydrophis (was Lapemis) hardwickii (was Curtis hardwickii)
STATUS UNCERTAIN - see Hydrophis curtus

NT, Qld, WA.
also New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands and
Papua New Guinea

NSW, NT, Qld, WA
Also found in other seas including the Indian Ocean and around the Arabian Peninsula

SEA KRAITS

Sea Kraits are often been placed in their own families, however now many experts consider them to be in the Elapid family

Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Laticaudidae)

TABLE 2 - SEA KRAITS
THESE SNAKES ARE EGGLAYERS THAT LAY THEIR EGGS ON LAND

NSW?, Qld, CKI
may possibly occasionally wander into NSW waters

DISTRIBUTION KEY
Click on the abbreviation below to see a map of the area

ACT = Australian Capital Territory
(Canberra region only - excludes Jervis Bay Territory)

Sea Snakes of Australia
MESA

Sea Snakes
School of Biomedical Sciences

Australian Sea Snakes
Facebook

OTHER LINKS

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