NT SEA SNAKES - SPECIES LISTING

THE REPTILES OF AUSTRALIA

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

PLEASE SHARE THIS PAGE

HOME REPTILES OF NORTHERN TERRITORY COLUBRID SNAKES - Colubridae Homalopsidae Mud Snakes of NT Northern Territory PYTHON SNAKES - Pythonidae NT ELAPID SNAKES - Elapidae Cobras Coral Snakes NT SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits NORTHERN TERRITORY FILE SNAKES - Acrochordidae BLIND SNAKES OF NORTHERN TERRITORY
Northern Territory TURTLES Tortoises Chelonii Testudines NORTHERN TERRITORY DRAGON LIZARDS Agamas Agamidae NORTHERN TERRITORY GECKO LIZARDS Gekkonidae NORTHERN TERRITORY - LEGLESS LIZARDS - SPECIES LISTING NORTHERN TERRITORY MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae SKINKS OF NORTHERN TERRITORY- SPECIES LIST LISTING OF NORTHERN TERRITORY CROCODILES Reptiles of the World

NORTHERN TERRITORY- SEA SNAKES


TRUE SEA SNAKES OF NORTHERN TERRITORY

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)

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

Horned Sea Snake

Acalyptophis (or Hydrophis) peronii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Reef Shallows or Dubois's Sea Snake

Aipysurus duboisii

NT, Qld, WA

Stagger-banded or Spine-tailed Sea Snake

Aipysurus eydouxii

NT, Qld, WA

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

Stoke's Seasnake

Astrotia (or Hydrophis) stokesii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Spectacled Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Disteira) kingii

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Olive-headed Sea Snake
or Greater Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Disteira) major

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Horned Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Acalyptophis) peronii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

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.

Beaked Sea Snake
Snakes previoisly recorded as this speces incorrectly are Zweifel's Sea Snakes

Enhydrina schistosa

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

NOT FOUND IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS

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)

Spine-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Lapemis) curtus

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

Elegant Sea Snake

Hydrophis elegans

NSW, NT, Qld, WA, SA

Striped Sea Snake

Hydrophis faciatus

NT, Qld, WA

Hardwicke’s Spine-bellied Sea Snake

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

NT, Qld, WA

Plain Sea Snake
or Inornate Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Chitulia) inornatus

 Reports from Australia (Northern Territory, Western Australia) are probably misidentifications (Rasmussen et al. 2014).

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(?)

Ocellated Sea Snake (obsolete see Ornate Reef Seasnake)

Hydrophis ocellatus (obsolete - now called Hydrophis ornatus)

NSW, NT, Tas, Qld, WA

Ornate Reef Seasnake

Hydrophis ornatus (was called Hydrophis ocellatus)

NSW, NT, Tas, Qld, WA

Large-headed Sea Snake

Hydrophis pacificus

NT, Qld

Stoke's Seasnake

Hydrophis (or Astrotia) stokesii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Pelamis) platurus platurus

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

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

 


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

Sea Snakes
School of Biomedical Sciences 

Australian Sea Snakes
Facebook


RECOMMENDED AMAZON BOOKS
(Affiliate commission earned)

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

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST


Find a Random Species of Australian Reptile

Visit the Australian Herpetology Website







ANY CONTRIBUTION APPRECIATED

Pixel for PayPal



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




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






ANY CONTRIBUTION APPRECIATED

Pixel for PayPal


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 | About John Hollister | Report Faulty Link | Report an Error

Contact John Fowler Author of the Australian Herpetology Website, Pythons of the World, - Owner of the Adelaide Reptile Forum

Contact John Hollister Author of John Hollister Reptile Collection - Herping the Trans-Pecos & Sweetwater, Texas Rattlesnake Roundup

Copyright 2022 John Fowler, Rachel Barnes and John Hollister. All rights reserved. Reproduction or re-use of information or materials from this web site is strictly prohibited and against international law.
(NOTE:- No permission is needed to link to this web page)

Note Content provided by other contributors cannot be used without their permission.

Updated August 25, 2022


This site is supported by these affiliates CryptoTab Browser, Coinbase and Pi

*