By day the sea krait hangs out on land, curled up on a rock near the water's edge, but by night it lives up to its name. This highly poisonous snake swims underwater in search of food; it specializes in hunting slippery eels, as well as other fish. Usually found near coral reefs, the sea krait captures even the most-elusive prey by delivering a venomous bite that paralyzes the victim. Fortunately for humans, the sea krait usually shies away when approached by swimmers or divers.
Fish Tail: All sea snakes have flattened tails to help them swim, but the krait's is even more specialized. Its tail has flat scales that grow from the top and bottom, making it look more like a fish's fin than a snake's tail.
Small & Deadly: A sea krait's venom is among the most toxic found in the wild. The snake injects its venom into prey through small fangs; once bitten, a victim has only minutes to live. One dose can kill up to 10 humans, but the snake usually avoids people.
Turf and Surf[]
The sea krait will lurk near fresh water pools so it can take a drink when it wishes.
Despite its name, the sea krait spends quite a lot of time on land. Females lay their eggs on land, usually in damp caves, so a krait's life actually begins out of water. The snake likes to spend most days on a rock, where it can soak up heat from the sun to give it energy to hunt. Also, the sea krait's belly is lined with wide, flat scales that help it crawl over land. When it enters the water, it's thoroughly at home as well: The snake's rounded body and fin-like tail make it an excellent swimmer.
Daring Diver: Sea kraits can't breathe in water, so small flaps cover their nostrils when beneath the surface. These snakes usually dive for about 15 minutes at a time, though they only have to poke their nostrils above the water to take in a new supply of oxygen.
Through the Cracks: The front portion of this sea serpent's body is especially narrow so the predator can slip into the cracks and crevices in a coral reef. Eels and small fish often hide in these areas, and the krait can easily snatch them up.
Eat an Eel[]
- After basking near the shore for hours and storing up some energy from the sun, a sea krait slithers into the sea for its nighttime hunt.
- The krait finds an eel in the cracks between two coral formations and chases it out into the open. The predator makes one quick strike, injecting its paralyzing venom.
- Within minutes, the eel becomes unable to move. The krait engulfs the eel, head first, and slowly swallows its meal whole.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The species featured on the front is likely a Yellow-Lipped Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina).
- The sea krait and land krait both mention each other in their respective Did You Know? sections.
- The knowledge card's introduction paragraph erroneously refers to the snake as poisonous.
- There are 8 species of sea krait in the genus, Laticauda. All found with the Indian and Pacific region.
- The main difference between them and sea snakes, is that sea kraits have the body shape of a land snake, and that they lay their eggs on land as well instead giving birth to live young.
- People have been known to handle these snakes gently, due to sea kraits being docile and reluctant to bite.
- The sea krait is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured as part of the creature in Build-A-Beast on Monster Mania 43.
- It is then featured in Record Setters on Monster Mania 61.