| Laticauda | |
|---|---|
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| Laticauda colubrina | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Hydrophiidae |
| Genus: | Laticauda |
| Species | |
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Laticauda colubrina |
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Laticauda is a genus of snakes from the family Hydrophiidae. The Laticauda is the least adapted to sea life of all the members of Hydrophiidae; it retains the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes and has only a poorly developed tail fin. Laticauda are adapted to living on land and in shallow seas.
Contents |
Size
A sea krait can grow 6.5 feet long (2 meters).[1]
Location
The Laticauda is found through out the south and southeast Asian islands spreading from southern China to northern Australia. It is mostly found in coastal waters.[1]
Diet
The Laticauda feed in the ocean, mostly eating moray and conger eels. Some Laticauda eat squid, crabs, and fish. They have never been observed feeding on land.
Behavior
The Laticauda are often active at night, which is when they prefer to hunt. Even though they contain one of the most toxic venoms in the world (their bite is ten times more toxic than that of the King Cobra), Laticauda are usually not aggressive towards humans, and in New Caledonia, where they are called tricot rayé ("stripey sweater"), children play with them. Bites are extremely rare, but must be treated immediately.[2]
Breeding
The Laticauda are oviparous, meaning that they return to land in order to mate. Courtship involves the male twitching his body in order to attract females.
Species and Taxonomy
Eight species are currently recognised [3],[4]
- Laticauda colubrina (Schneider 1799) - Yellow-lipped sea krait
- Laticauda crockeri Slevin 1934 - Crocker's Sea Snake
- Laticauda frontalis (De Vis 1905)
- Laticauda guineai Heatwole, Busack & Cogger 2005 - Guinea's sea krait
- Laticauda laticaudata (Linnaeus 1758) - Blue-lipped sea krait
- Laticauda saintgironsi Cogger & Heatwole 2006 - Saint Girons' sea krait
- Laticauda schistorhynchus (Guenther 1874) - Katuali or Niue sea krait
- Laticauda semifasciata (Reinwardt 1837) - Black-banded sea krait
The species L. schistorhynchus and L. semifasciata have been placed in the genus Pseudolaticauda by some authors [5]
References
- ^ a b Kindersley, Dorling (2001,2005). Animal. New York City: DK Publishing. ISBN 0-7894-7764-5.
- ^ Notes du Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé (UPR1934 CNRS), CNRS DR15 - La Lettre de la Délégation n°202.
- ^ Heatwole, H., S. Busack & H. Cogger (2005) Geographic variation in sea kraits of the Laticauda colubrina complex (Serpentes: Elapidae: Hydrophiinae: Laticaudini). Herpetological Monographs 19, 1-136.
- ^ Cogger, H.G. & H.F. Heatwole (2006) Laticauda frontalis (de Vis, 1905) and Laticauda saintgironsi n.sp. from Vanuato and New Caledonia (Serpentes: Elapidae: Laticaudinae)- a new lineage of sea kraits? Records of the Australian Museum 58, 245-256
- ^ Kharin, V.E. & V.P. Czeblukov (2006) A new revision of the sea kraits of family Laticaudidae Cope, 1879 (Serpentes: Colubroidea). Russian Journal of Herpetology 13, 227-241.
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