THE REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS OF AUSTRALIA
True Sea Snakes and Sea Kraits

THE REPTILES OF AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PHOTOS AND INFORMATION
Covering Australian Snakes, Lizards, Crocodiles, Turtles & Amphibians

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SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PYTHON SNAKES - Pythonidae

ELAPID SNAKES - Elapidae Cobras Coral Snakes

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

BLIND SNAKES - Worm Snakes - Typhlopidae Ramphotyphlops

TURTLES Tortoises Chelonii Testudines

DRAGON LIZARDS Agamas Agamidae

GECKO LIZARDS Gekkonidae

LEGLESS LIZARDS Pygopodidae Pygopods

South Australian MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae

SKINKS of SOUTH AUSTRALIA


SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SEA SNAKES


TRUE SEA SNAKES of SOUTH AUSTRALIA

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

All sea snakes have a paddle shaped tail


Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Hydrophiidae)

Elegant Sea Snake (Hydrophis elegans)

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

COMMON NAME (INTERNAL LINK)

SCIENTIFIC NAME (EXTERNAL LINK)

DISTRIBUTION

Elegant Sea Snake

Hydrophis elegans

NSW, NT, Qld, WA, SA

Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Pelamis) platurus platurus

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

Sea snakes are not normally found in South Australian Waters.
There is only 1 confirmed sighting in South Australia of a Sea Snake which was found alive on the beach at Hanson Bay, Kangaroo Island, in 2011, that was an Elegant Sea Snake, Hydrophis elegans.

A fisherman claimed to have caught a Sea snake off Brighton Jetty (Adelaide region), however as he cut the line and released the snake, the sighting could not be confirmed. The story is at the news.com.au link below. If you view the picture in the article below you will see that the snake (or eel) does not look like a Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake Hydrophis platurus as mentioned in the article. However despite that, it is likely that Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake do occur in South Australian waters occasionally.


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)

 

Australia map

LINKS OF INTEREST

The Marine Reptiles of South Australia
South Australian Museum

Deadly sea snake caught off Brighton Jetty in Adelaide's south
news.com.au

A Listing of South Australian Terrestrial Elapid Snakes

Sea Snakes
School of Biomedical Sciences 

Australian Sea Snakes
Facebook


RECOMMENDED AMAZON BOOKS
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A Naturalist's Guide to the Snakes of Australia A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia 5th edition Edition

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OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST

Find a Random Species of Australian Reptile

Visit the Australian Herpetology Website





SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SEA SNAKES OF THE WORLD

 SNAKES OF THE WORLD

Sea Snakes
of
Australia

Sea Snakes
of
The World

Snakes
of
The World



SEA SNAKES BY STATE OR TERRITORY

SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SEA SNAKES OF NSW

QLD SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

NT SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

WA SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SEA SNAKES OF VICTORIA

SEA SNAKES OF TASMANIA - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

Sea Snakes
of
Australia

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

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE SPECIES LISTS BY STATE OR TERRITORY

Reptiles of South Australia
REPTILES OF VICTORIA
 REPTILES OF NSW REPTILES OF QUEENSLAND REPTILES OF NORTHERN TERRITORY REPTILES OF Western Australia Reptiles of the ACT(Canberra)

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



Reptiles of Lord Howe Island

Reptiles of Christmas Island

Reptiles
of Cocos Keeling Islands

Reptiles of Norfolk Island


Reptiles of Australia

Selection of Australian Frogs

Reptiles of the World

Amphibians of the World

Reptiles
of
Australia

Frogs
of
Australia

Reptiles
of
The World

Amphibians of the
World


About John Fowler | John Hollister (deceased 2023) | Report Faulty Link | Report an Error

Contact John Fowler Author of the Australian Herpetology Website

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Updated October 23, 2025

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