Page 150 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

BANDS FOR DANGER
SEAFARING The striking banded pattern
of a sea snake warns predators
to keep away. Although many
SERPENT species are not aggressive, they
all have strong venom, and
some could kill a human.

SEA SNAKE

Lots of the animals in the ocean look like snakes, but
real sea snakes are venomous reptiles that breathe air. This
usually keeps them near the surface, although they can
close their nostrils to dive deeper. They have a paddlelike
tail to help them swim and most give birth to live young
underwater—unlike other sea reptiles, they do not have to
go to land to lay eggs. This makes them the only reptiles
that spend their entire lives at sea.

AT A GLANCE

• SIZE 2½–5 ft (0.75–1.5 m); a few
species may grow bigger
• HABITAT Warm, shallow coastal
ocean waters
• LOCATION Coastlines of the tropical
Indian and Pacific Oceans, with greatest
diversity around Australia
• DIET Mainly fish; some feed on
specific types of fish, but only one
species of sea snake is specialized
for eating crustaceans and mollusks

STATS AND FACTS
30
SWIMMING DEPTH

ft 150 300
MAXIMUM LITTER SIZE
m 40 80 120
330 ft/100 m (maximum)
FANG LENGTH

in 1 ⁄8 1 ⁄4
MAX. TIME UNDER WATER
mm 2 4 6 8
1
1
⁄32– ⁄8 in (0.6–4 mm) 2
HOURS
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