What are sea snakes?
Sea Snakes are true snakes, and although they look like eels (and vice versa), they are a snake, not a fish.
There are two major groups of what are commonly referred to as 'sea snakes'.(As well as some other snakes that live in mangroves, and many other snakes can swim to some degree). The two main groups of marine-going snakes are usually classified within the family Elapidae.
the 'true' sea snakes...One group is made up of the 'true sea snakes', for they are entirely marine. They reproduce in the sea, and bear live young in the water. Their tail is flattened into a paddle. There are at least 30 species in Australasian waters, and they are found in various tropical water situations, including mangroves, coral reefs and on surface of the open sea. I have most commonly seen them when crossing open shallow tropical seas across northern Australia, such as the Gulf of Carpentaria (Queensland to the Northern Territory) or the Bonaparte Gulf (Northern Territory to Western Australia). You just have to take a seat on deck and wait to go past one.
the sea kraits...The other group are the 'sea kraits'. There are 5 species of sea kraits, and they are found around coral reefs and islands in the tropical Indo-Pacific. They live part of their life on land, part at sea. They reproduce and lay their eggs on land, feed at sea, then return to land to rest and digest. Sea Kraits are often boldly patterned with black rings. They hunt for fish in and around rocky and coral reefs, most species focusing on eels living in cracks and crevices. They tend to be more common around remote tropical limestone islands, and thus in Australasia they are found around geologically active areas such as coastal New Guinea, rather than relatively stable Australia. I have seen them while snorkelling around coral reefs just along limestone rocky shores.
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