Banded sea snake

Description: Smooth-scaled snake that is a pale shade of blue with black bands. Its oarlike tail provides propulsion in swimming.

Characteristics: Most active at night, swimming close to shore and at times entering tide pools. Its venom is a very strong neurotoxin. Its victims are usually fishermen who untangle these deadly snakes from large fish nets.

Habitat: Common in all oceans, absent in the Atlantic Ocean.

Length: Average 75 centimeters, maximum 1.2 meters.

Distribution: Coastal waters of New Guinea, Pacific islands, the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and Japan.

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Snake Families:   - Colubridae   - Crotalidae   - Elapidae   - Viperidae   POISONOUS SNAKES OF THE AMERICAS:   - American copperhead   - Bushmaster   - Coral snake   - Cottonmouth   - Eastern diamondback rattlesnake   - Eyelash pit viper   - Fer-de-lance   - Jumping viper   - Mojave rattlesnake   - Tropical rattlesnake   - Western diamondback rattlesnake   POISONOUS SNAKES OF EUROPE:   - Common adder   - Long-nosed adder   - Pallas' viper   - Ursini's viper   POISONOUS SNAKES OF AFRICA AND ASIA:   - Boomslang   - Bush viper   - Common cobra   - Egyptian cobra   - Gaboon viper   - Green mamba   - Green tree pit viper   - Habu pit viper   - Horned desert viper   - King cobra   - Krait   - Levant viper   - Malayan pit viper   - McMahon's viper   - Mole viper or burrowing vipe   - Palestinian viper   - Puff adder   - Rhinoceros viper or river jack   - Russell's viper   - Sand viper   - Saw-scaled viper   - Wagler's pit viper or temple viper   POISONOUS SNAKES OF AUSTRALASIA:   - Australian copperhead   - Death adder   - Taipan   - Tiger snake   POISONOUS SEA SNAKES:   - Banded sea snake   - Yellow-bellied sea snake   POISONOUS LIZARDS:   - Gila monster   - Mexican beaded lizard