True Sea Snakes [Hydrophiidae]

Description

Hydrophiidae, or true sea snakes, are a family of highly venomous snakes that inhabit marine environments in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are fully adapted to a life in water, with a laterally compressed tail to aid in swimming and valved nostrils to prevent water intake. Members of this family are born at sea and are capable of absorbing oxygen through their skin to a limited extent, supplementing their lung respiration. True sea snakes feed on a variety of marine life, including fish and their eggs, eels, and occasionally crustaceans. They have a wide distribution, ranging from the coasts of Africa, through Asian waters, to the oceanic regions of Oceania.

Genera

Taxonomy