Details
Hydrophis platurus
The yellow-bellied sea snake is a venomous ocean-going snake. Its dark back, yellow belly, and paddle tail suit a life spent entirely at sea.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in warm Pacific and Indian ocean waters, offshore and near coasts. Currents, slicks, and floating material can concentrate the small fish it hunts.
Total length 70-110 cm; weight 100-300 g. The back is black to dark brown, the belly bright yellow, and the tail flattened side to side. The body is slender and aquatic.
Diurnal and solitary, it does not come ashore. It surfaces to breathe and drifts or swims with ocean currents.
A carnivore, it eats mainly small fish. It ambushes near the surface and uses venom to immobilize prey.
It gives birth to live young in the sea. Newborns swim immediately and begin life in open water.
It is listed as Least Concern. Human encounters are uncommon, but stranded animals should not be handled.
