REPTILIA: SQUAMATA: LATICAUDIDAE: Laticauda

Laticauda colubrina (Schneider, 1799)

Yellow-lipped sea krait

Photo & text by Dr. Robert Sprackland.

Range: Much of the coastal regions of the tropical southwest Pacific Ocean.

Diagnosis:

Description: Body long with a blunt head that is only slightly broader than the neck. The body is round in section with a row of slightly enlarged belly scales. Body ringed with black and pale blue; snout tip yellowish.

Natural History:

Reproduction: Females, which grow almost twice as long as males, lay their eggs on land.

Taxonomy & Relationships: "Laticauda" comes from Greek words meaning "flat tail," in reference to tail anatomy. The term "krait" refers to a group of highly venomous banded land snakes of southeast Asia. The sea krait bears a superficial resemblance to land kraits, and may be a fairly close relative.

Variation: Very little recorded.

Additional Comments: Though these snakes are generally docile, they are nevertheless extremely venomous and are capable of delivering a lethal bite.  

Type Specimen:

Literature: Click on books to order copies.

Cogger, Harold. 1999. Reptiles and amphibians of Australia. 6th edition. Ralph Curtis Books. ISBN: 0-88359-048-4.

Greene, Harry. 1997. Snakes: The evolution of mystery in nature. University of California Press. ISBN: 0-520-20014-4.

Greer, Allen. 1997. The biology and evolution of Australian snakes. Surrey Beattie & Sons. ISBN: 0-949324-68-X.

Heatwole, Harold. 1999. Sea snakes. 2nd edition. University of NSW Press. ISBN: 1-57524-116-1.

Saint Girons, H. 1990. Notes on ecology and population structure of the Laticaudinae (Serpentes, Hydrophidae) in New Caledonia. (Translation from a 1964 paper in French). Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 25(11):197-209.