Distributed range & status
These snakes are the most widely distributed sea snake. In Sri Lanka they are found in west, south, east, south-east castal areas such as Tricomalee, Beruwala, Panadura, Negambo, Panama, Rumassala, Moratuwa, Kalutara, Rakawa, Wasskaduwa, Halawata & from Deep Ocean. Also found from the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, South China Sea northward to the coastal regions of Zhejiang and Taiwan, Persian Gulf to Bay of Bengal, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Malaysia, coasts of Malay Peninsula and Indo-Australian Archipelago to New Guinea, Gulf of Thailand and Philippines, Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, Korea, Russia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Australia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Orange and San Diego Counties in California, New Caledonia, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Peru.

They are not found in the Atlantic or Mediterranean even though the water there is warm enough.

Scales

Their body scales juxtaposed, sub-quadrangular in shape, in 41-67 mid body scale rows. The ubber scales are smooth, while the lower scales have 2-3 tubercles.

Characteristics
Body is small & compressed, posteriorly more than twice the diameter of the neck. Head is narrow & lightly dorso-ventrally flattened, snout is elongated & beak like. This air breathing sea snake has developed a flat oar-like tail and have valve nostrils since they left the land millions of years ago. Ventral body has a spreading ridge. Algae & barnacles are found fixed on the skin most of the time. Hemipenis free end is divided & expect the tip of it the other parts are spinous.

 Colour
11 Color variables are found. But most often distinctly bi-colored, black above, yellow or brown below, the dorsal and ventral colors sharply demarcated from one another; ventrally there may be a series of black spots or bars on the yellow or brown background, or the yellow may extend dorsally so that there is only a narrow mid-dorsal black stripe, or a series of black crossbars.

Venom
They are highly venomous snakes & a death has been recorded from Sri Lanka. Death has been caused after 23 days by kidney failure. Symptoms include muscle tightening, swollen the area of the wound, hard to put the tongue out, ptosis & dysarthria takes place. The snake has neurotoxic venom that is used against its fish prey.

Dentition
Data not found.

Behavior
They are helpless on land and they sometimes form large aggregations of thousands in surface waters. They swim with the floating things in the sea. The only species of sea snake capable of living and giving birth entirely at sea (it is totally pelagic). These snakes require a minimum of 18 degrees to survive long term. They are very aggressive. They may even be found in groups.

Breeding
These snakes breed in warm waters and they are ovoviviparous with a gestation period of about 6 months. 2-4 off springs are produced at once.

Growth
At birth they measure 220-260mm & grow to total length males 720 mm, females 880 mm; tail length males 80 mm, females 90 mm.

Food
The diets include fish on the surface. They do not trap them but capable of catching them in the open water. They pretend as sticks floating on water, & trick prey to come near them.

Identification
This snake is closely related to the land snakes of Asia and Australia from which it seems to have evolved about 10 million years ago. Snout is bill like projected to the front. Also these snakes have dorsally black & ventrally yellow bodies. Theses colours laterally divides clearly from a line.