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{{Short description|Species of snake}}
{{Taxobox
{{Speciesbox
| name = Pelagic Sea Snake
| image = Pelamis_Platurus_Costa_Rica.JPG
| image = Pelamis platura, Costa Rica.jpg
| image_caption = Yellow-bellied sea snake
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Guinea, M. |author2=Lukoschek, V. |author3=Cogger, H. |author4=Rasmussen, A. |author5=Murphy, J. |author6=Lane, A. |author7=Sanders, K. Lobo, A. |author8=Gatus, J. |author9=Limpus, C. |author10=Milton, D. |author11=Courtney, T. |author12=Read, M. |author13=Fletcher, E. |author14=Marsh, D. |author15=White, M.-D. |author16=Heatwole, H. |author17=Alcala, A. |author18=Voris, H. |author19=Karns, D. |date=2017 |title=''Hydrophis platurus'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T176738A115883818 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T176738A115883818.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| classis = [[Reptilia]]
| ordo = [[Squamata]]
| genus = Hydrophis
| species = platurus
| subordo = [[Serpentes]]
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1766)
| familia = [[Hydrophiidae]]
| range_map = Yellow-bellied Sea Snake Pelamis platura distribution map.png
| genus = ''[[Pelamis]]''
| range_map_caption = Yellow-bellied sea snake range<ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author1=Guinea, M.|author2=Lukoschek, V.|author3=Cogger, H.|author4=Rasmussen, A.|author5=Murphy, J.|author6=Lane, A.|author7=Sanders, K.|author8=Lobo, A.|author9=Gatus, J.|author10=Limpus, C.|author11=Milton, D.|author12=Courtney, T.|author13=Read, M.|author14=Fletcher, E.|author15=Marsh, D.|author16=White, M.-D.|author17=Heatwole, H.|author18=Alcala, A.|author19=Voris, H.|author20=Karns, D.| title = ''Hydrophis platurus'' | volume= 2010 | page = e.T176738A115883818 | year = 2017 }}</ref>
| species = '''''P. platurus'''''
| synonyms ={{collapsible list|bullets = true|title=<small>List</small>
| binomial = ''Pelamis platurus''
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1766)
| ''Anguis platura'' [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1766
| ''Hydrus bicolor'' [[Johann Gottlob Schneider|Schneider]], 1799
| ''Hydrophis platura'' – [[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]], 1801
| ''Pelamis platuros'' – [[François Marie Daudin|Daudin]], 1803
| ''Pelamis bicolor'' – [[François Marie Daudin|Daudin]], 1803
| ''Hydrophis pelamis'' [[Hermann Schlegel|Schlegel]], 1837
| ''Pelamis ornata'' [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1842
| ''Pelamis platurus'' – [[Ferdinand Stoliczka|Stoliczka]], 1872
| ''Hydrus platurus'' – [[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1890
| ''Pelamydrus platurus'' – [[Karl Patterson Schmidt|Schmidt]] & Davis, 1941
| ''Pelamis platura'' – Böhme, 2003<ref>[[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger, G.A.]] 1896. ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ)...'' Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). London. pp. 266–268.</ref><ref>The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.</ref>}}
}}
}}
[[File:Pelamis platura yellow form Costa Rica.jpg|thumbnail|Yellow form from the Golfo Dulce on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica]]


'''Yellowbelly Sea Snake''' or '''Pelagic Sea Snake''' (''Pelamis platurus'') is a [[species]] of [[Hydrophiidae|sea snake]] found in [[tropical]] oceanic waters around the world.
The '''yellow-bellied sea snake''' ('''''Hydrophis platurus''''') is a [[venomous snake|venomous]] [[species]] of snake from the subfamily [[Hydrophiinae]] (the sea snakes) found in [[tropical]] oceanic waters around the world except for the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. For many years, it was placed in the [[monotypic taxon|monotypic]] [[genus]] ''Pelamis'', but recent molecular evidence indicates it lies within the genus ''[[Hydrophis]]''.


==Description==
==Taxonomy==
In 1766, [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] published the original description of the yellow-bellied sea snake, naming it ''Anguis platura'' (''Anguis'' meaning snake). In 1803, [[François Marie Daudin]] created the new [[genus]] ''Pelamis'' and assigned this [[species]] to it, referring to it as ''Pelamis platuros''. In 1842, Gray described what he thought was a new species and called it ''Pelamis ornata'' (subsequently ''P. ornata'' became a synonym of ''P. platura''). The commonly used genus name ''Pelamis'' is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] word for "tunny fish", which presumably refers to the habitat or what Daudin thought they ate. The specific name ''platurus'' is a combination of the Ancient Greek words ''platys'' "flat" and ''oura'' "tail", referring to the flattened tail. The word ''Pelamis'' is a feminine noun and means young or small tunny fish. In 1872, [[Ferdinand Stoliczka|Stoliczka]] introduced the name ''Pelamis platurus'' (still the most used scientific name by scientists today), but used the incorrect ending ''-us'' instead of ''-a'' which a feminine noun requires.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lanza|first1=B.|last2=Boscherini|first2=S. |year=2000 |title=The gender of the genera ''Podarcis'' Wagler 1830 (Lacertidae), ''Pelamis'' Daudin 1803 (Hydrophiidae) and ''Uropeltis'' Cuvier 1829 (Uropeltidae) |journal=Tropical Zoology |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=327–329 |doi=10.1080/03946975.2000.10531139 |doi-access=free }}</ref> A few recent examples exist of scientists' beginning to use the grammatically correct name ''Pelamis platura'', e.g., Bohme 2003 and the Reptile Database with its page headed ''Pelamis platura'' (Linnaeus, 1766), which includes an extensive synonymy of the different scientific names which have been used for the yellow-bellied sea snake.<ref>{{NRDB species|genus=Pelamis|species=platura}}. Accessed May 2008</ref> The same rules apply for the most recent taxonomic name of ''Hydrophis platurus''.
{{Cleanup-section|date=July 2008}}


To further complicate the [[nomenclature]], the taxonomic status of sea snakes is still under review, with recent authors suggesting a dismantling of [[Monotypic taxon|monotypic]] genera, such as ''Pelamis'', in favour of a single genus, ''[[Hydrophis]]'', in order to reduce [[paraphyly]] and better reflect [[phylogenetic relationship]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Rasmussen|first1 = Arne Redsted|last2 = Sanders|first2 = Kate Laura|last3 = Guinea|first3 = Michael L.|last4 = Amey|first4 = Andrew P.|date = 2014-01-01|title = Sea snakes in Australian waters (Serpentes: subfamilies Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae)-a review with an updated identification key|journal = Zootaxa|volume = 3869|issue = 4|pages = 351–371|issn = 1175-5334|pmid = 25283923|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3869.4.1|s2cid = 207552237|doi-access = free}}</ref>
[[Image:pelamis platuras.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Pelamis platurus'', related to the Cobra family ([[Elapidae]]) at [[Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World]], a public aquarium in [[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]].]]

Other common names are yellowbelly sea snake or pelagic sea snake.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

===Evolution===
Sea snakes are a [[Monophyly|monophyletic]] group ([[Hydrophiinae]]) that diverged from the front-fanged [[Australasia]]n [[Venomous snake|venomous]] snakes ([[Elapidae]]) about 10 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Lukoschek|first1 = Vimoksalehi|last2 = Keogh|first2 = J. Scott|date = 2006-11-01|title = Molecular phylogeny of sea snakes reveals a rapidly diverged adaptive radiation|journal = Biological Journal of the Linnean Society|language = en|volume = 89|issue = 3|pages = 523–539|doi = 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2006.00691.x|issn = 1095-8312|doi-access = free|hdl = 1885/20734|hdl-access = free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Pyron|first1 = R. Alexander|last2 = Burbrink|first2 = Frank T.|last3 = Colli|first3 = Guarino R.|last4 = de Oca|first4 = Adrian Nieto Montes|last5 = Vitt|first5 = Laurie J.|last6 = Kuczynski|first6 = Caitlin A.|last7 = Wiens|first7 = John J.|date = 2011-02-01|title = The phylogeny of advanced snakes (Colubroidea), with discovery of a new subfamily and comparison of support methods for likelihood trees|journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume = 58|issue = 2|pages = 329–342|doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.11.006|issn = 1095-9513|pmid = 21074626}}</ref> The yellow-bellied sea snake is a part of the rapidly radiating [[Hydrophis]] group.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Sanders|first1 = Kate L.|last2 = Lee|first2 = Michael S. Y.|last3 = Mumpuni|last4 = Bertozzi|first4 = Terry|last5 = Rasmussen|first5 = Arne R.|date = 2013-03-01|title = Multilocus phylogeny and recent rapid radiation of the viviparous sea snakes (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae)|journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume = 66|issue = 3|pages = 575–591|doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.021|pmid=23026811}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:pelamis platuras.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Hydrophis platurus'', a front-fanged venomous snake, related to the brown snakes, cobras and taipans ([[Elapidae]])]]The yellow-bellied sea snake, as the name implies, has a distinctive bicolor pattern with a yellow underbelly and brown back, making it easily distinguishable from other sea snake [[species]]. Yellow-bellied sea snakes, like many other species of sea snake, are fully adapted to living their whole lives at sea: mating, eating and giving birth to live young ([[Ovoviviparity|ovoviviparous]]). Adaptations to aquatic life include the reduced [[Anatomical terms of location|ventral]] scale size, laterally compressed body and paddle-tail for swimming,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Sanders|first1 = Kate L.|last2 = Rasmussen|first2 = Arne R.|last3 = Elmberg|first3 = Johan|date = 2012-08-01|title = Independent Innovation in the Evolution of Paddle-Shaped Tails in Viviparous Sea Snakes (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae)|url = http://icb.oxfordjournals.org/content/52/2/311|journal = Integrative and Comparative Biology|language = en|volume = 52|issue = 2|pages = 311–320|doi = 10.1093/icb/ics066|issn = 1540-7063|pmid = 22634358|doi-access = free}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|first1 = F.|last1 = Aubret |last2 = Shine|first2 = R.|date = 2008-04-01|title = The origin of evolutionary innovations: locomotor consequences of tail shape in aquatic snakes|journal = Functional Ecology|language = en|volume = 22|issue = 2|pages = 317–322|doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2007.01359.x|issn = 1365-2435|doi-access = free}}</ref> valved nostrils and [[Palatine uvula|palatine]] seal for excluding seawater, and [[cutaneous gas exchange]] for prolonging dive times.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last = Seymour|first = Roger S.|date = 1974-08-09|title = How sea snakes may avoid the bends|journal = Nature|language = en|volume = 250|issue = 5466|pages = 489–490|doi = 10.1038/250489a0|pmid = 4469599|bibcode = 1974Natur.250..489S|s2cid = 4162151}}</ref> This [[species]] can uptake up to 33% of its [[oxygen]] requirements through the [[skin]] while diving and swimming at the surface of the water.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Graham|first=J. B.|date=1974-07-01|title=Aquatic respiration in the sea snake Pelamis platurus|journal=Respiration Physiology|volume=21|issue=1|pages=1–7|issn=0034-5687|pmid=4846936|doi=10.1016/0034-5687(74)90002-4}}</ref> Sea snakes also have a special salt [[gland]] located in the lower jaw that was formerly believed to filter out salt from the surrounding seawater<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Dunson|first1 = William A.|last2 = Packer|first2 = Randall K.|last3 = Dunson|first3 = Margaret K.|date = 1971-01-01|title = Sea Snakes: An Unusual Salt Gland under the Tongue|jstor = 1732639|journal = Science|volume = 173|issue = 3995|pages = 437–441|doi=10.1126/science.173.3995.437|pmid=17770448|bibcode = 1971Sci...173..437D|s2cid = 41474438}}</ref> but has been found not to be used for that purpose, as sea snakes drink fresh water only.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/18/the-sad-tale-of-the-thirsty-dehydrated-sea-snake/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319103211/http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/18/the-sad-tale-of-the-thirsty-dehydrated-sea-snake/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 19, 2014|title=The Sad Tale of the Thirsty, Dehydrated Sea Snake|date=18 March 2014|website=Phenomena}}</ref>
:''See [[snake scales]] for terminology used here''
:''See [[snake scales]] for terminology used here''
Body compressed, posteriorly more than twice the diameter of the neck; body scales juxtaposed, sub-quadrangular in shape, in 49-67 rows around thickest part of body; ventral scales, 264-406, very small and, if distinct, divided by a longitudinal groove, but usually indistinguishable from adjacent body scales; head narrow, snout elongate, head shields entire, nostrils superior, nasal shields in contact with one another; pre-frontal in contact with second upper labial; 1-2 pre- and 2-3 post-oculars; 2-3 small anterior temporals; 7-8 upper labials, 4-5 below eye but separated from border by sub-ocular; color variable but most often distinctly bi-colored, black above, yellow or brown below, the dorsal and ventral colors sharply demarcated from one another; ventrally there may be a series of black spots or bars on the yellow or brown background, or the yellow may extend dorsally so that there is only a narrow mid-dorsal black stripe, or a series of black crossbars (M A Smith 1943:476-477 gives more complete description of the color pattern variants). Total length males 720 mm, females 880 mm; tail length males 80 mm, females 90 mm.


==Habits==
=== Morphology ===
The body of this snake is compressed, with the posterior less than half the diameter of the neck; the body scales are juxtaposed, subquadrangular in shape, and in 23–47 rows around the thickest part of the body; ventral scales, 264–406 in number, are very small and, if distinct, divided by a latitudinal
These snakes breed in warm waters and they are [[ovoviviparous]] with a gestation period of about 6 months. They are helpless on land and they sometimes form large aggregations of thousands in surface waters. The snake has a [[neurotoxic]] venom that is used against its fish prey. No human fatalities are known. It occurs on both sides of the Pacific and is the only sea snake to have reached the [[Hawaiian Islands]].<ref>Liptow, J. 1999. "''Pelamis platurus''" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed June 23, 2007 at [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Pelamis_platurus.html]</ref>
groove, but usually are indistinguishable from adjacent body scales. The head is narrow, with an elongated snout; head shields are entire, nostrils are superior, and nasal shields are in contact with one another; the prefrontal scale is in contact with second upper labial; one or two preoculars, two or three postoculars, and two or three small anterior temporals are present; seven or eight upper labials are found, with four or five below the eye, but separated from the border by a subocular. Colors of the snake are variable, but most often distinctly bicolored, black above, yellow or brown below, with the dorsal and ventral colors sharply demarcated from one another; ventrally, there may be a series of black spots or bars on the yellow or brown background, or the yellow may extend dorsally so there is only a narrow middorsal black stripe, or a series of black crossbars.<ref>([[Malcolm Arthur Smith|M.A. Smith]], 1943: 476–477, gives more complete descriptions of the color pattern variants).</ref> Total length for males is up to {{Convert|720|mm|in|abbr=on}}, for females up to {{Convert|880|mm|in|abbr=on}}; tail length for males is up to {{Convert|80|mm|in|abbr=on}}, females up to {{Convert|90|mm|in|abbr=on}}.


==Distribution==
==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Hydrophis platurus xanthos 103019572.jpg|thumb|''Hydrophis platurus xanthos'']]
[[Indian Ocean]], [[Pacific Ocean]] ([[Japan]]), [[South China Sea]] northward to the coastal regions of Zhejiang and [[Taiwan]], [[Persian Gulf]] ([[Oman]] etc.) to [[Bay of Bengal]], [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Maldives]], [[Malaysia]], coasts of Malay Peninsula and Indo-Australian Archipelago to [[New Guinea]], [[Gulf of Thailand]] and [[Philippines]], [[Andaman Islands]], [[Nicobar Islands]], [[Korea]], Russia (S Primorskij Territory; Only one dead specimen was found in Russia: on the coast of the Sea of Japan, near Vladivostok city), [[Madagascar]], [[Tanzania]], [[Australia]] (New South Wales, North Territory, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, West Australia), [[New Zealand]], [[Solomon Islands]] [McCoy 2000].
The yellow-bellied sea snake is one of the most widely distributed snakes in the world.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1 = Rasmussen|first1 = Arne Redsted|last2 = Murphy|first2 = John C.|last3 = Ompi|first3 = Medy|last4 = Gibbons|first4 = J. Whitfield|last5 = Uetz|first5 = Peter|title = Marine Reptiles|journal = PLOS ONE|volume = 6|issue = 11|doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0027373|pmc = 3210815|pmid = 22087300|page=e27373|year = 2011|bibcode = 2011PLoSO...627373R|doi-access = free}}</ref> It is completely [[Pelagic zone|pelagic]] and is often observed on oceanic [[Natural lines of drift|drift lines]], using surface currents and storms to move around the ocean.<ref name=":1" /> Their distribution appears to be largely determined by favourable water temperatures, [[Ocean current|oceanic currents]] and recent formation of [[land bridge]]s that have blocked farther dispersal.


The yellow-bellied sea snake has an extensive distribution covering the entire tropical [[Indo-Pacific]], as well as extending to [[Costa Rica]], southern [[California]], and northern [[Peru]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Quiñones|first1=Javier|last2=Burneo|first2=Karla García |last3=Barragan|first3=Claudio|title=Rediscovery of the Yellow-bellied Sea Snake, ''Hydrophis platurus'' (Linnaeus, 1766) in Máncora, northern Perú |url=http://biotaxa.org/cl/article/view/10.6.1563|journal=Check List|volume=10|issue=6|pages=1563–1564|doi=10.15560/10.6.1563|date=2014-12-09|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/venomous-sea-snake-washes-up-on-california-beach-surprising-scientists/|title=Venomous Sea Snake Washes Up on California Beach, Surprising Scientists |last1=Palermo|first1=Elizabeth |date=December 28, 2015|website=Scientific American|access-date=2016-03-30}}</ref> It is the only sea snake to have reached the [[Hawaiian Islands]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Liptow |first=J. |date=1999 |url= https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pelamis_platura/ |title=''Pelamis platura'' |work=[[Animal Diversity Web]] |publisher=[[University of Michigan]] |access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref> The favoured habitat for hunting and reproduction includes free floating mats of sea kelp occurring in the Indian Ocean. The species is the most commonly beached sea snake on the coast of [[Southwest Australia (ecoregion)|Southwest Australia]], including records at beaches near metropolitan areas.<ref name="Browne-Cooper2007">{{cite book |last1=Browne-Cooper |first1=R. |last2=Bush |first2=B. |last3=Maryan |first3=B. |last4=Robinson |first4=D. |title=Reptiles and frogs in the bush : southwestern Australia |date=2007 |publisher=University of Western Australia Press |isbn=9781920694746 |page=273}}</ref> It is also reported from Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia).<ref name="iucnredlist.org">{{Cite journal |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176738/115883818|title = IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Hydrophis platurus|journal = IUCN Red List of Threatened Species|date = 15 February 2009|last1 = Guinea|first1 = M.}}</ref>
[[Orange County, California|Orange]] and [[San Diego County|San Diego]] Counties in California[http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/p.platurus.html], [[New Caledonia]], [[Mexico]], [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]], [[El Salvador]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Costa Rica]], Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, [[Galapagos Islands]], [[Peru]].


The yellow-bellied sea snake requires a minimum of 16–18&nbsp;°C (60.8 to 64.4&nbsp;°F) to survive, long-term.<ref>Dunson and Ehlert 1971.</ref> However, the species has been reported in colder waters of the Pacific, such as the coasts of southern California, Mexico, [[Tasmania]], and [[New Zealand]],<ref name="WaikatoTimes2012">{{cite news |title=Swimmers told not to be surprised of poisonous sea snake |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/6213293/Swimmers-told-not-to-be-surprised-of-poisonous-sea-snake |newspaper=Waikato Times |publisher=[[Fairfax New Zealand]] |location=[[Hamilton, New Zealand]] |date=4 January 2012 |access-date=26 April 2012}}</ref> the latter being a country that would otherwise be free of snakes were it not for the infrequent strandings of yellow-bellied sea snakes and [[Laticauda colubrina|banded sea kraits]].<ref name="AucklandMuseum">{{cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/349/natural-history-questions |title=Natural History Questions |author=Natural History Information Centre |publisher=[[Auckland War Memorial Museum]] |location=[[Auckland]], New Zealand |at=Q. Are there any snakes in New Zealand? |access-date=26 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129222710/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-and-library/library-info-centres/information-centres/natural-history-information-centre/natural-history-questions |archive-date=29 November 2014}}</ref> Nonetheless, these wayward individuals make the yellow-bellied sea snake the most commonly-seen snake (and sea snake) in New Zealand, to the degree that the species is considered [[Endemism|endemic]] (indigenous) to New Zealand and worthy of protection under the [[Wildlife Act 1953]].<ref name="AM-sea-kraits">{{Cite Q|Q58629017}}</ref> These colder water occurrences are believed to be linked to [[El Niño]], among other severe weather events, possibly creating unusually strong, new ocean currents that transport the snakes far off-course.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/yellow-bellied-sea-snake|title=Yellow-bellied Sea Snake – Australian Museum|website=australianmuseum.net.au|access-date=2016-03-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = El Nino brings sea snake to California's coast |url = http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/17/us/sea-snake-california-el-nino/index.html|website = CNN|date = 17 October 2015|access-date = 2015-10-25}}</ref> In October 2015, beached yellow-bellied sea snakes were reported and photographed on beaches in [[Ventura County, California]], well outside their normal range, for the first time in 30 years.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title = Blame El Niño for poisonous sea snake found on Ventura County beach|url = https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-venomous-sea-snake-found-20151016-story.html|website = [[Los Angeles Times]]|date = 17 October 2015|access-date = 2015-10-25}}</ref> A few months later, in January 2016, a stranded individual was found in [[Coronado, California]], washed-up on Coronado Beach's north end (better known as Dog Beach), just south of [[Naval Air Station North Island]] (NASNI). The specimen was subsequently transported to and examined at the [[Scripps Institution of Oceanography|Scripps Institute of Oceanography]], [[La Jolla]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 January 2016 |title=Yellow-bellied Sea Snake from Coronado Beach, Coronado, San Diego, California |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2579760 |website=[[iNaturalist]]}}</ref>
==Evolution==


The yellow-bellied sea snake is the only sea snake to have been found in the Atlantic Ocean, although only in limited circumstances. The yellow-bellied sea snake's occurrence into the Atlantic is not considered a part of its native range, but rather a dispersal from its native Pacific range.<ref>Harvey B Lillywhite, Coleman M Sheehy, Harold Heatwole, François Brischoux, David W Steadman; "Why Are There No Sea Snakes in the Atlantic?", ''BioScience'', Volume 68, Issue 1, 1 January 2018, Pages 15–24, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix132</ref>
The yellowbelly is the most widely distributed sea snake and the only species of sea snake capable of living and giving birth entirely at sea (it is totally [[pelagic]]). It is closely related to the land snakes of Asia and Australia from which it seems to have evolved about 10 million years ago. Yellowbellies (and all other sea snakes) are not found in the [[Atlantic]] or [[Mediterranean]] even though the water there is warm enough. Yellowbellies require a minimum of 18° C to survive long term. A land bridge at ([[Panama]]) between North and South America formed 2-3 million years ago making it impossible for them to get through. If they had evolved, or had spread across the [[Pacific Ocean]] before the land bridge formed, we would almost certainly find them now in the Atlantic. Going around the bottom tip of [[South America]] or [[South Africa]] is not an option for sea snakes because water temperatures are too cool. Also, the westerly wind blows against them if they attempt to get around the southern tip of Africa from the [[Indian ocean]]. The [[Panama canal]] is not an option because they can not survive fresh water. The [[Red Sea]] is not an option because it is too salty. This air breathing sea snake has developed a flat oar-like tail and valved nostrils since leaving the land millions of years ago.<ref>The New York Times, published 24 April 1984, article by Sandra Blakeslea http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E2DD1238F937A15757C0A962948260&sec=health&spon= Accessed May 2008</ref>


The yellow-bellied sea snake has been found in all the countries of Africa's eastern coast and all eastern islands, like Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Réunion, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa and Tanzania.<ref name="iucnredlist.org"/> On the African Atlantic coast they have been reported to occur in the [[Benguela Current]], with specimens found along the coasts of [[South Africa]] and [[Namibia]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sexton|first=Owen J.|date=1967-01-01|title=Population Changes in a Tropical Lizard Anolis limifrons on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone|jstor=1442198|journal=Copeia|volume=1967|issue=1|pages=219–222|doi=10.2307/1442198}}</ref><ref>Also see references in ''The Living Shores of Southern Africa'', Margo and George Branch, pp. 130–131, Macmillan South Africa (Publishers), Johannesburg and "Snake versus Man" [[Johan Marais]], pp. 50–51, C. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.</ref>
==Taxonomy==


The yellow-bellied sea snake has also been found in the Colombian Caribbean four separate times, making it the only sea snake to be found in the Caribbean Sea. However these occurrences are believed to be the result of human activity, be it ship discharge, intentional release or via the Panama Canal, as it is not considered a part of their native range. This is due to the [[land bridge]] between North and South America ([[Isthmus of Panama]]), which formed from about 10 million years ago to 3 million years ago<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/north-south-america-came-together-much-earlier-thought-study-n338826|title=North and South America Came Together Much Earlier Than Thought: Study|website=NBC News|access-date=2016-03-30}}</ref> (i.e., [[continental drift]]), acting as a [[Biological dispersal|dispersal barrier]] and preventing entry into the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean. The man-made [[Panama Canal]] has not made a crossing of the isthmus possible presumably because it is [[fresh water]].<ref>Hernández-Camacho, J.I. & Álvarez-León, Ricardo & Renjifo-Rey, J.M.. (2006). Pelagic sea snake Pelamis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Reptilia: Serpentes: Hydrophiidae) is found on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. Mem. Fund. La. Salle Cien. Nat.. 164. 143-152.</ref>
Sea snakes are closely related to the venomous Australian snakes of the family [[Elapidae]], but are currently classified in a separate family, [[Hydrophiidae]]. Two subfamilies have been listed in the past, the sea kraits ([[Laticaudinae]]), and the true sea snakes ([[Hydrophiinae]]), though recent work suggests this subfamilial division may be inappropriate.<ref>[http://www.toxinology.com/generic_static_files/cslavh_antivenom_seasnake.html CSL Antivenom Handbook - Sea Snake Antivenom<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


Due to the wide distribution of the species and relative lack of [[Biological dispersal|dispersal barriers]], it has been assumed that individuals from different localities represent a single breeding [[Population genetics|population]] (i.e., high [[gene flow]]). However, a study that used [[haplotype]] networks in two populations from [[Costa Rica]] suggests that shallow genetic population structure exists, which reflects variation in colour patterns (brown and yellow in [[Gulf of Papagayo|Golfo de Papagayo]] and completely yellow in [[Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica|Golfo Dulce]]).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Sheehy|first1 = Coleman M.|last2 = Solórzano|first2 = Alejandro|last3 = Pfaller|first3 = Joseph B.|last4 = Lillywhite|first4 = Harvey B.|date = 2012-08-01|title = Preliminary insights into the phylogeography of the yellow-bellied sea snake, ''Pelamis platurus'' |journal = Integrative and Comparative Biology|volume = 52|issue = 2|pages = 321–330|doi = 10.1093/icb/ics088|issn = 1557-7023|pmid = 22659201|doi-access = free}}</ref>
In '''1766''', [[Linnaeus]] referred to the yellow-bellied sea snake as 'Anguis patura' (Anguis meaning snake). Daudin referred to it as 'Pelamis 'platur'''o'''s' in '''1803''' and usually has his name attached to the spelling 'Pelamis platur'''u'''s' which people are now familiar with. In '''1842''' Gray transferred it to the genus '[[Pelamis]]' and called it 'Pelamis ornata' (ornata being a synonym of platura). The word 'Pelamis' is a feminine noun and means young or small tunny fish. In '''1872''' [[Stoliczka]] introduced the name 'Pelamis platurus' ''(still the most used scientific name by scientists today)'' but used the incorrect ending on 'platur'''us'''' instead of 'platur'''a'''' which a feminine noun requires.<ref>Tropical zoology 13:327-329, 2000, The gender of the genera ... ''Pelamis'' Daudin 1803 (hydrophiidae) B Lanza and S, Boscherini - Accessed online May, 2008</ref> There are a few recent examples where scientists have begun using the grammatically correct name 'Palamis platura' eg. Bohme '''2003''' and the 'Reptile database' with its page headed ''''Pelamis platura' Linnaeus, 1766'''' which gives a huge variety of different scientific names for the yellowbelly sea snake<ref>http://www.tigr.org/reptiles/species.php?genus=Pelamis&species=platura The reptile Database, accessed May 2008</ref>.


==Name==
==Behaviour==
Contrary to past beliefs, sea snakes require fresh water to survive and the yellow-bellied sea snake drinks precipitation that forms on the surface of sea water.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Lillywhite|first1 = Harvey B.|last2 = Brischoux|first2 = François|last3 = Sheehy|first3 = Coleman M.|last4 = Pfaller|first4 = Joseph B.|date = 2012-08-01|title = Dehydration and drinking responses in a pelagic sea snake|journal = Integrative and Comparative Biology|volume = 52|issue = 2|pages = 227–234|doi = 10.1093/icb/ics039|issn = 1557-7023|pmid = 22510231|doi-access = free}}</ref> This species has been reported to survive severe dehydration of up to 7 months during seasonal drought.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Lillywhite|first1 = Harvey B.|last2 = Sheehy|first2 = Coleman M.|last3 = Brischoux|first3 = François|last4 = Grech|first4 = Alana|date = 2014-05-07|title = Pelagic sea snakes dehydrate at sea|journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences|language = en|volume = 281|issue = 1782|pages = 20140119|doi = 10.1098/rspb.2014.0119|issn = 0962-8452|pmc = 3973276|pmid = 24648228}}</ref>
The genus name ''Pelamis'' is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] word for "tunny fish", which presumably refers to the habitat or what [[Daudin]] thought they ate. The species name ''platurus' is a combination of the Ancient Greek words ''platys'' "flat" and ''oura'' "tail", referring to the flattened tail.<ref>Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained by Ellin Beltz</ref>.


Yellow-bellied sea snakes breed in warm waters; they are [[ovoviviparous]] with a gestation period around 6 months. According to [[Raymond Ditmars|Ditmars]], females bear live young in tidal pools.<ref>[[Karl Patterson Schmidt|Schmidt, K.P.]] & D.D. Davis. 1941. ''Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. G.P. Putnam's Sons. New York. p. 280.</ref> They move poorly on land due to their smaller belly scales that form a [[Anatomical terms of location|ventral]] [[keel]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1 = Brischoux|first1 = François|last2 = Shine|first2 = Richard|date = 2011-05-01|title = Morphological adaptations to marine life in snakes|journal = Journal of Morphology|volume = 272|issue = 5|pages = 566–572|doi = 10.1002/jmor.10933|issn = 1097-4687|pmid = 21337377|s2cid = 26527627}}</ref> They are sometimes observed in large aggregations of thousands on the surface of the water in oceanic [[Natural lines of drift|drift lines]], which has been proposed as a strategy to catch prey.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Brischoux|first1 = François|last2 = Lillywhite|first2 = Harvey B.|date = 2011-06-14|title = Light- and flotsam-dependent 'float-and-wait' foraging by pelagic sea snakes (Pelamis platurus)|journal = Marine Biology|language = en|volume = 158|issue = 10|pages = 2343–2347|doi = 10.1007/s00227-011-1738-z|s2cid = 86115673|issn = 0025-3162}}</ref> They hunt by floating on the surface of the water to attract [[Pelagic fish|pelagic]] fish that are seeking shelter; prey are captured via a backwards swimming motion and rapid lunge of the jaws.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title = Fauna of Australia: Family Hydrophiinae|last = Heatwole|first = Harold|publisher = AGPS|year = 1993|location = Canberra|pages = 15}}</ref> The ability to swim backwards is an unusual and distinguishing characteristic of this species.<ref name="Browne-Cooper2007" /> Heatwole proposed that these snakes find their prey by sensing the vibration generated by fish movement.<ref>{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=80ERtB6qgGgC|title = Sea Snakes|last = Heatwole|first = Harold|date = 1999-01-01|publisher = UNSW Press|isbn = 9780868407760|language = en}}</ref>
==Venomousness==
LD stands for "[[Lethal dose]]". LD50 is the amount of a material, given all at once, which causes the death of 50% of a group of test animals (e.g. mice). The lower the amount, the more toxic the poison. <ref>http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/ld50.html#_1_1 (May 2008)</ref>'''Hook-nosed sea snake (beaked sea snake)''' (''[[Enhydrina schistosa]]'') Mouse LD50 (mg/kg) : 0.02 Venom yield per snake (mg) : 7.7-9.0 (generally considered to be the most venomous sea snake in the world).
'''Inland Taipan''' (''[[Oxyuranus microlepidotus]]'') Mouse LD50 (mg/kg) : 0.03 Venom yield per snake (mg) : 44.0-110.0 (generally considered to be the most venomous land snake).
'''Yellow-bellied sea snake''' (''Pelamis platurus'') Mouse LD50 (mg/kg) : 0.07 Venom yield per snake (mg) : 1.0-4.0
'''Egyptian cobra''' (''[[Naja haje]]'') Mouse LD50 (mg/kg) : 0.19 Venom yield per snake (mg) : 175.0-300.0 <ref>http://www.reptileallsorts.com/bites-venom.htm (Accessed May 2008)</ref>.


==Venom==
The above comparison shows that ''Pelamis platurus'' is clearly less venomous than the [[Inland Taipan]]. Another source puts the inland Taipan at 17 times more venomous than even the most venomous sea snake<ref>http://www.venomsupplies.com/Relative-Toxicity.php (Accessed May 2008)</ref>. S. Scott (marine biologist) has stated, "The toxicity of yellow-bellied sea snake venom is about a quarter that of the beaked sea snake, meaning it is still potentially lethal. "<ref>http://www.susanscott.net/OceanWatch1999/jan18-99.html Accessed May 2008 - Susan Scott writes the newspaper column, "Ocean Watch",
The venom of this species is highly potent, like that of other [[sea snakes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flyingdoctor.net/IgnitionSuite/uploads/docs/snakebite.pdf|title=SnakeBiteTemplate3.pmd<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref> Bites are rare and the most common victims are fishermen who try to get them out of fishing nets.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cañas |first=Carlos A. |last2=Castaño-Valencia |first2=Santiago |last3=Castro-Herrera |first3=Fernando |date=September 2022 |title=Biological and medical aspects related to the yellow-bellied sea snake Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766): A view from Colombia |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2022.102410 |journal=Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease |volume=49 |pages=102410 |doi=10.1016/j.tmaid.2022.102410 |issn=1477-8939}}</ref> The subcutaneous {{LD50}} of the venom is 0.067&nbsp;mg/kg and the venom yield per bite is 1.0–4.0&nbsp;mg.<ref>[http://www.seanthomas.net/oldsite/ld50tot.html LD50 value of venomous snakes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201062634/http://www.seanthomas.net/oldsite/ld50tot.html |date=2012-02-01 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/ld50.html#_1_1] LD stands for "[[Lethal dose]]".</ref> Yellow-bellied sea snake venom contains several different [[neurotoxin]]s and two other isotoxins.<ref>Mori, Nobuhiro & Ishizaki, Hiroyuki & Tu, Anthony. (1989). "Isolation and Characterization of Pelamis platurus (Yellow-bellied Sea Snake) Postsynaptic Isoneurotoxin". ''The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology''. 41. 331-4. 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1989.tb06466.x.</ref>
for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin</ref>. The yellow-bellied sea snake is about 10 times more venomous than the Egyptian cobra ([[Naja haje]]) however in general, the sea snakes deliver a much smaller quantity of [[venom]]. In [[Australia]] Sea-snakes are rarely aggressive and bites are uncommon<ref>[https://www.flyingdoctor.net/IgnitionSuite/uploads/docs/snakebite.pdf SnakeBiteTemplate3.pmd<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.


===Antivenom===
===Anti-venom ([[antivenin]])===
Sea snake venom can cause damage to skeletal muscle with consequent [[myoglobinuria]], neuromuscular [[paralysis]] or direct [[renal]] damage. The venoms of significant species of sea snake are neutralised with Commonwealth Serum Laboratories Ltd (of Melbourne, Australia) Sea Snake (''[[Enhydrina schistosa]]'') antivenom. If that preparation is not available, [[Tiger Snake]] or polyvalent antivenom should be used. No deaths have been recorded from bites in Australian waters.<ref>https://www.flyingdoctor.net/IgnitionSuite/uploads/docs/snakebite.pdf Management of snake bites in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Accessed May 2008</ref> <ref>http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic543.htm Accessed May 2008</ref> The (''Enhydrina schistosa'') antivenom was tested specifically on ''Pelamus platurus'' and it effectively neutralised the venom.<ref>http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/23/1/135 Published 1973. Accessed May 2008.</ref>
Sea snake venom can cause damage to skeletal muscle with consequent [[myoglobinuria]], neuromuscular [[paralysis]] or direct [[renal]] damage. The venoms of significant species of sea snake are neutralised with Commonwealth Serum Laboratories Ltd (of Melbourne, Australia) sea snake (''[[Enhydrina schistosa]]'') antivenom.<ref name="Gopalakrishnakone1994">{{cite book|author=P. Gopalakrishnakone|title=Sea Snake Toxinology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i2yTrfdnnq8C&pg=PA27|year=1994|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-9971-69-193-6|pages=27–}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Hugh Alistair Reid OBE MD: investigation and treatment of snake bite|first=B. J.|last=Hawgood|date=1 March 1998|journal=Toxicon|volume=36|issue=3|pages=431–446|pmid=9637363|doi=10.1016/s0041-0101(97)00082-2}}</ref> If that preparation is not available, [[tiger snake]] or polyvalent antivenom should be used. No deaths have been recorded from bites in Australian waters.<ref>https://www.flyingdoctor.net/IgnitionSuite/uploads/docs/snakebite.pdf Management of snake bites in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Accessed May 2008</ref><ref>http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic543.htm Accessed May 2008</ref> The ''E. schistosa'' antivenom was tested specifically on ''Pelamus platurus'', and it effectively neutralised the venom.<ref>http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/23/1/135 Published 1973. Accessed May 2008.</ref>


==Cited references==
==Cited references==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist|35em}}


==Other sources==
==Other sources==
* [[Raymond Ditmars|Ditmars, R.L.]] 1936. ''The Reptiles of North America''. Doubleday, Doran & Co. New York. 476 pp.
* Hecht, M. K., Kropach, C. and Hecht, B. M. 1974 Distribution of the yellow-bellied sea snake ''Pelamis platurus'', and its significance in relation to the fossil record. Herpetologica 30: 387-395.
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hecht | first1 = M. K. | last2 = Kropach | first2 = C. | last3 = Hecht | first3 = B. M. | year = 1974 | title = Distribution of the yellow-bellied sea snake ''Pelamis platurus'', and its significance in relation to the fossil record | journal = Herpetologica | volume = 30 | pages = 387–395 }}
* Kropach, C. 1975 The yellow-bellied sea snake, ''Pelamis'', in the eastern Pacific. Pp. 185-213 in: Dunson, W., ed., The Biology of Sea Snakes. Univ. Park Press, Baltimore, xi + 530 pp.
* Kropach, C. 1975 The yellow-bellied sea snake, ''Pelamis'', in the eastern Pacific. pp.&nbsp;185–213 in: Dunson, W., ed., The Biology of Sea Snakes. Univ. Park Press, Baltimore, xi + 530 pp.
* [[Malcolm Arthur Smith|Smith, M.A.]] 1943. ''The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptiles and Amphibians. Vol. III. – Serpentes''. Taylor & Francis. London. 583 pp.


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://snakesarelong.blogspot.com/2013/08/pelagic-sea-snakes-and-animals-that.html Pelagic Sea Snakes and the animals that live on them], Life is Short but Snakes are Long
* {{NRDB species|genus=Pelamis |species=platurus }}
* [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Pelamis_platurus.html Animal Diversity Web]


{{Taxonbar|from=Q1247379}}
[[Category:Sea snakes]]

[[Category:Reptiles described in 1766]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Hydrophis]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Australia]]
[[Category:Reptiles of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Western Australia]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Western Australia]]
[[Category:Snakes of Japan]]

[[Category:Reptiles of Mexico]]
[[fr:Pelamis platura]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Iran]]
[[ja:セグロウミヘビ]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Guatemala]]
[[zh-yue:長吻海蛇]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Hawaii]]
[[Category:Snakes of Australia]]

Latest revision as of 00:04, 15 April 2024

Yellow-bellied sea snake
Yellow-bellied sea snake
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Hydrophis
Species:
H. platurus
Binomial name
Hydrophis platurus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Yellow-bellied sea snake range[2]
Synonyms
List
Yellow form from the Golfo Dulce on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

The yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus) is a venomous species of snake from the subfamily Hydrophiinae (the sea snakes) found in tropical oceanic waters around the world except for the Atlantic Ocean. For many years, it was placed in the monotypic genus Pelamis, but recent molecular evidence indicates it lies within the genus Hydrophis.

Taxonomy[edit]

In 1766, Linnaeus published the original description of the yellow-bellied sea snake, naming it Anguis platura (Anguis meaning snake). In 1803, François Marie Daudin created the new genus Pelamis and assigned this species to it, referring to it as Pelamis platuros. In 1842, Gray described what he thought was a new species and called it Pelamis ornata (subsequently P. ornata became a synonym of P. platura). The commonly used genus name Pelamis is derived from the Ancient Greek word for "tunny fish", which presumably refers to the habitat or what Daudin thought they ate. The specific name platurus is a combination of the Ancient Greek words platys "flat" and oura "tail", referring to the flattened tail. The word Pelamis is a feminine noun and means young or small tunny fish. In 1872, Stoliczka introduced the name Pelamis platurus (still the most used scientific name by scientists today), but used the incorrect ending -us instead of -a which a feminine noun requires.[5] A few recent examples exist of scientists' beginning to use the grammatically correct name Pelamis platura, e.g., Bohme 2003 and the Reptile Database with its page headed Pelamis platura (Linnaeus, 1766), which includes an extensive synonymy of the different scientific names which have been used for the yellow-bellied sea snake.[6] The same rules apply for the most recent taxonomic name of Hydrophis platurus.

To further complicate the nomenclature, the taxonomic status of sea snakes is still under review, with recent authors suggesting a dismantling of monotypic genera, such as Pelamis, in favour of a single genus, Hydrophis, in order to reduce paraphyly and better reflect phylogenetic relationships.[7]

Other common names are yellowbelly sea snake or pelagic sea snake.[citation needed]

Evolution[edit]

Sea snakes are a monophyletic group (Hydrophiinae) that diverged from the front-fanged Australasian venomous snakes (Elapidae) about 10 million years ago.[8][9] The yellow-bellied sea snake is a part of the rapidly radiating Hydrophis group.[10]

Description[edit]

Hydrophis platurus, a front-fanged venomous snake, related to the brown snakes, cobras and taipans (Elapidae)

The yellow-bellied sea snake, as the name implies, has a distinctive bicolor pattern with a yellow underbelly and brown back, making it easily distinguishable from other sea snake species. Yellow-bellied sea snakes, like many other species of sea snake, are fully adapted to living their whole lives at sea: mating, eating and giving birth to live young (ovoviviparous). Adaptations to aquatic life include the reduced ventral scale size, laterally compressed body and paddle-tail for swimming,[11][12] valved nostrils and palatine seal for excluding seawater, and cutaneous gas exchange for prolonging dive times.[12][13][14] This species can uptake up to 33% of its oxygen requirements through the skin while diving and swimming at the surface of the water.[15] Sea snakes also have a special salt gland located in the lower jaw that was formerly believed to filter out salt from the surrounding seawater[16] but has been found not to be used for that purpose, as sea snakes drink fresh water only.[17]

See snake scales for terminology used here

Morphology[edit]

The body of this snake is compressed, with the posterior less than half the diameter of the neck; the body scales are juxtaposed, subquadrangular in shape, and in 23–47 rows around the thickest part of the body; ventral scales, 264–406 in number, are very small and, if distinct, divided by a latitudinal groove, but usually are indistinguishable from adjacent body scales. The head is narrow, with an elongated snout; head shields are entire, nostrils are superior, and nasal shields are in contact with one another; the prefrontal scale is in contact with second upper labial; one or two preoculars, two or three postoculars, and two or three small anterior temporals are present; seven or eight upper labials are found, with four or five below the eye, but separated from the border by a subocular. Colors of the snake are variable, but most often distinctly bicolored, black above, yellow or brown below, with the dorsal and ventral colors sharply demarcated from one another; ventrally, there may be a series of black spots or bars on the yellow or brown background, or the yellow may extend dorsally so there is only a narrow middorsal black stripe, or a series of black crossbars.[18] Total length for males is up to 720 mm (28 in), for females up to 880 mm (35 in); tail length for males is up to 80 mm (3.1 in), females up to 90 mm (3.5 in).

Distribution and habitat[edit]

Hydrophis platurus xanthos

The yellow-bellied sea snake is one of the most widely distributed snakes in the world.[19] It is completely pelagic and is often observed on oceanic drift lines, using surface currents and storms to move around the ocean.[20] Their distribution appears to be largely determined by favourable water temperatures, oceanic currents and recent formation of land bridges that have blocked farther dispersal.

The yellow-bellied sea snake has an extensive distribution covering the entire tropical Indo-Pacific, as well as extending to Costa Rica, southern California, and northern Peru.[21][22] It is the only sea snake to have reached the Hawaiian Islands.[23] The favoured habitat for hunting and reproduction includes free floating mats of sea kelp occurring in the Indian Ocean. The species is the most commonly beached sea snake on the coast of Southwest Australia, including records at beaches near metropolitan areas.[24] It is also reported from Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia).[25]

The yellow-bellied sea snake requires a minimum of 16–18 °C (60.8 to 64.4 °F) to survive, long-term.[26] However, the species has been reported in colder waters of the Pacific, such as the coasts of southern California, Mexico, Tasmania, and New Zealand,[27] the latter being a country that would otherwise be free of snakes were it not for the infrequent strandings of yellow-bellied sea snakes and banded sea kraits.[28] Nonetheless, these wayward individuals make the yellow-bellied sea snake the most commonly-seen snake (and sea snake) in New Zealand, to the degree that the species is considered endemic (indigenous) to New Zealand and worthy of protection under the Wildlife Act 1953.[29] These colder water occurrences are believed to be linked to El Niño, among other severe weather events, possibly creating unusually strong, new ocean currents that transport the snakes far off-course.[30][31][32] In October 2015, beached yellow-bellied sea snakes were reported and photographed on beaches in Ventura County, California, well outside their normal range, for the first time in 30 years.[30] A few months later, in January 2016, a stranded individual was found in Coronado, California, washed-up on Coronado Beach's north end (better known as Dog Beach), just south of Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI). The specimen was subsequently transported to and examined at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla.[33]

The yellow-bellied sea snake is the only sea snake to have been found in the Atlantic Ocean, although only in limited circumstances. The yellow-bellied sea snake's occurrence into the Atlantic is not considered a part of its native range, but rather a dispersal from its native Pacific range.[34]

The yellow-bellied sea snake has been found in all the countries of Africa's eastern coast and all eastern islands, like Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Réunion, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa and Tanzania.[25] On the African Atlantic coast they have been reported to occur in the Benguela Current, with specimens found along the coasts of South Africa and Namibia.[35][36]

The yellow-bellied sea snake has also been found in the Colombian Caribbean four separate times, making it the only sea snake to be found in the Caribbean Sea. However these occurrences are believed to be the result of human activity, be it ship discharge, intentional release or via the Panama Canal, as it is not considered a part of their native range. This is due to the land bridge between North and South America (Isthmus of Panama), which formed from about 10 million years ago to 3 million years ago[37] (i.e., continental drift), acting as a dispersal barrier and preventing entry into the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean. The man-made Panama Canal has not made a crossing of the isthmus possible presumably because it is fresh water.[38]

Due to the wide distribution of the species and relative lack of dispersal barriers, it has been assumed that individuals from different localities represent a single breeding population (i.e., high gene flow). However, a study that used haplotype networks in two populations from Costa Rica suggests that shallow genetic population structure exists, which reflects variation in colour patterns (brown and yellow in Golfo de Papagayo and completely yellow in Golfo Dulce).[39]

Behaviour[edit]

Contrary to past beliefs, sea snakes require fresh water to survive and the yellow-bellied sea snake drinks precipitation that forms on the surface of sea water.[40] This species has been reported to survive severe dehydration of up to 7 months during seasonal drought.[41]

Yellow-bellied sea snakes breed in warm waters; they are ovoviviparous with a gestation period around 6 months. According to Ditmars, females bear live young in tidal pools.[42] They move poorly on land due to their smaller belly scales that form a ventral keel.[13] They are sometimes observed in large aggregations of thousands on the surface of the water in oceanic drift lines, which has been proposed as a strategy to catch prey.[43] They hunt by floating on the surface of the water to attract pelagic fish that are seeking shelter; prey are captured via a backwards swimming motion and rapid lunge of the jaws.[20] The ability to swim backwards is an unusual and distinguishing characteristic of this species.[24] Heatwole proposed that these snakes find their prey by sensing the vibration generated by fish movement.[44]

Venom[edit]

The venom of this species is highly potent, like that of other sea snakes.[45] Bites are rare and the most common victims are fishermen who try to get them out of fishing nets.[46] The subcutaneous LD50 of the venom is 0.067 mg/kg and the venom yield per bite is 1.0–4.0 mg.[47][48] Yellow-bellied sea snake venom contains several different neurotoxins and two other isotoxins.[49]

Antivenom[edit]

Sea snake venom can cause damage to skeletal muscle with consequent myoglobinuria, neuromuscular paralysis or direct renal damage. The venoms of significant species of sea snake are neutralised with Commonwealth Serum Laboratories Ltd (of Melbourne, Australia) sea snake (Enhydrina schistosa) antivenom.[50][51] If that preparation is not available, tiger snake or polyvalent antivenom should be used. No deaths have been recorded from bites in Australian waters.[52][53] The E. schistosa antivenom was tested specifically on Pelamus platurus, and it effectively neutralised the venom.[54]

Cited references[edit]

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  47. ^ LD50 value of venomous snakes Archived 2012-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  48. ^ [1] LD stands for "Lethal dose".
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  54. ^ http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/23/1/135 Published 1973. Accessed May 2008.

Other sources[edit]

  • Ditmars, R.L. 1936. The Reptiles of North America. Doubleday, Doran & Co. New York. 476 pp.
  • Hecht, M. K.; Kropach, C.; Hecht, B. M. (1974). "Distribution of the yellow-bellied sea snake Pelamis platurus, and its significance in relation to the fossil record". Herpetologica. 30: 387–395.
  • Kropach, C. 1975 The yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis, in the eastern Pacific. pp. 185–213 in: Dunson, W., ed., The Biology of Sea Snakes. Univ. Park Press, Baltimore, xi + 530 pp.
  • Smith, M.A. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptiles and Amphibians. Vol. III. – Serpentes. Taylor & Francis. London. 583 pp.

External links[edit]

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