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Curiously, Emydocephalus is the only sea snake that does not possess palatal teeth. [5] Contrary to the foraging habits of other snakes, the turtle-head tends to eat smaller, more frequent meals rather than larger, infrequent prey: this sea snake feeds solely on fish eggs; specifically, the eggs of demersal fish that attach to the substrate, such as those of damselfish, blennies, and gobies.
Aipysurus eydouxii, commonly known as the beaded sea snake, [3] the marbled seasnake, and the spine-tailed seasnake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. A. eydouxii is unusual amongst sea snakes in that it feeds almost exclusively on fish eggs. As part of this unusual diet, this species has lost its fangs, and the venom ...
• Sea snake (bottom right) Marine reptiles are reptiles which have become secondarily adapted for an aquatic or semiaquatic life in a marine environment. Only about 100 of the 12,000 extant reptile species and subspecies are classed as marine reptiles, including marine iguanas, sea snakes, sea turtles and saltwater crocodiles. [1]
In sea snakes, the posterior sublingual glands, located under and around the tongue sheath, allow them to expel salt with their tongue action. [5] [9] Scalation among sea snakes is highly variable. As opposed to terrestrial snake species that have imbricate scales to protect against abrasion, the scales of most pelagic sea snakes do not overlap.
[10] [11] The marbled sea snake also has a deletion mutation in its three-finger toxin gene, reducing its venom toxicity by between 50- and 100-fold. [9] [10] In the African and Indian egg-eating snakes, there are hypapophyses (protrusions) on the vertebrae which are used to break swallowed eggs. [11] [12]
They are semiaquatic, and retain the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes for moving on land, but also have paddle-shaped tails for swimming. [1] Unlike fully aquatic ovoviviparous sea snakes, sea kraits are oviparous and must come to land to digest prey and lay eggs. [2]
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] Hydrophis platurus xanthos
In general, sea snakes are able to respire through their skin. Experiments with the yellow-bellied sea snake, Hydrophis platurus, have shown that this species can satisfy about 20% of its oxygen requirements in this manner, allowing for prolonged dives. The sea kraits (Laticauda spp.) are the sea snakes least adapted to aquatic life. Their ...