THE REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS OF AUSTRALIA
True Sea Snakes and Sea Kraits

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PHOTOS AND INFORMATION
Covering Australian Snakes, Lizards, Crocodiles, Turtles & Amphibians

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HOME REPTILES OF Western Australia COLUBRID SNAKES - Colubridae Homalopsidae Mud Snakes of WA LISTING OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PYTHONS WA ELAPID SNAKES - Elapidae Cobras Coral Snakes WA SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits WESTERN AUSTRALIAN FILE SNAKES - Acrochordidae BLIND SNAKES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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WESTERN AUSTRALIAN - SEA SNAKES


TRUE SEA SNAKES OF
WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Sea Snakes are often placed in their own family, however now many experts consider them to be in the Elapid family

All sea snakes have a paddle shaped tail


Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Hydrophiidae)

Elegant Sea Snake (Hydrophis elegans)

Sea Snakes are often placed in their own family, however now many experts now consider them to be in the Elapid family

All true Sea Snakes and Sea Kraits have a paddle shaped tail

All Sea Snakes and Sea Kraits all have fangs at the front of their mouths and most are believed to have extremely potent venom, however bites to humans are rare and snakes in the Emydocephalus genus are not considered dangerous due to a highly degenerated venom system!


Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Hydrophiidae)

 

TABLE 1 - TRUE SEA SNAKES
THESE SNAKES ARE LIVEBEARERS THAT SPEND THEIR ENTIRE LIFE IN WATER

 

* Indicates a new or recently updated page.

COMMON NAME (INTERNAL LINK)

SCIENTIFIC NAME (EXTERNAL LINK)

DISTRIBUTION

Horned Sea Snake

Acalyptophis (or Hydrophis) peronii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Short-nosed Sea Snake 

Aipysurus apraefrontalis

WA (including the Ashmore Reef region)

Reef Shallows or Dubois's Sea Snake

Aipysurus duboisii

NT, Qld, WA

Stagger-banded or Spine-tailed Sea Snake

Aipysurus eydouxii

NT, Qld, WA

Leaf-scaled Sea Snake

Aipysurus foliosquama

WA (Ashmore and Scott Reef)

Dusky Sea Snake

Aipysurus fuscus

WA ( and Scott Reef)

Golden or Olive Sea Snake

Aipysurus laevis

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Mosaic Sea Snake
or Mjoberg's Sea Snake
or Brown-lined Seasnake

Aipysurus mosaicus

NT, Qld, WA

Shark Bay Sea Snake

Aipysurus pooleorum 

WA

Brown-lined Sea Snake

Aipysurus tenuis

WA

Stoke's Seasnake

Astrotia (or Hydrophis) stokesii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Black-headed Sea Snake

Hydrophis atriceps

NT, WA(?)

Cogger's Slender-necked Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Leioselasma) coggeri

WA

North-western Mangrove Sea Snake

Ephalophis greyae
(or greyi)

NT(?), WA

Striped Sea Snake

Hydrophis faciatus

NT, Qld, WA

Spectacled Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Disteira) kingii

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Olive-headed Sea Snake
or Greater Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Disteira) major

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Turtle-headed Sea Snake (Harmless)

Emydocephalus annulatus

NT, Qld, WA (also around and some islands in the Pacific Ocean including the Philippines and the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia.

Western Turtle-headed Sea Snake (Harmless)

Emydocephalus orarius

WA (Coral Coast, Pilbara and Kimberley regions)

North-western Mangrove Sea Snake

Ephalophis greyae
(or greyi)

NT(?), WA

Black-ringed Mangrove Sea Snake

Hydrelaps darwiniensis

NT, Qld, WA

Black-headed Sea Snake

Hydrophis atriceps

NT, WA(?)

Belcher's Sea Snake
or Faint Banded Sea Snake

Hydrophis belcheri

Northern Waters away from the coast between Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea
Including the ocean in the region of Ashmore Reef (AU)

Cogger's Slender-necked Sea Snake

Hydrophis coggeri

WA

Spine-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Lapemis) curtus

NT, Qld, WA through S.E. Asia to the Persian Gulf

Geometrical Sea Snake (includes snakes previously known as Fine-spined Sea Snakes)

Hydrophis (or Leioselasma) czeblukovi (synonym of Hydrophis geometricus )

WA

Elegant Sea Snake

Hydrophis elegans

NSW, NT, Qld, WA, SA

Hardwicke’s Spine-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Lapemis) hardwickii (was curtis hardwickii)
STATUS UNCERTAIN - see Hydrophis curtus

NT, Qld, WA

Plain Sea Snake
or Inornate Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Chitulia) inornatus

 Reports from Australia (Northern Territory, Western Australia) are probably misidentifications (Rasmussen et al. 2014).

Small-headed Sea Snake

Hydrophis macdowelli

NT, Qld, WA.
also New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands and
Papua New Guinea

Slender-necked Seasnake

Hydrophis melanocephalus (or Leioselasma melanocephala)

NT(?), WA? Status in Australian waters is uncertain.

Black-banded
or Robust Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Mediohydrophis) melanosoma

NT(?), Qld, WA(?)

Ornate Reef Seasnake or
Ocellated Sea Snake

Hydrophis ocellatus

NSW, NT, Tas, Qld, WA

Ornate Reef Seasnake

Hydrophis ornatus (was called Hydrophis ocellatus)

NSW, NT, Tas, Qld, WA

Horned Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Acalyptophis) peronii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Pelamis) platurus platurus

NSW, NT, Qld, Tas, Vic, WA, CKI, CI, NI, LHI, SA?

Stoke's Seasnake

Hydrophis (or Astrotia) stokesii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

 


DISTRIBUTION KEY
Click on the abbreviation below to see a map of the area

CI = Christmas Island

CKI = Cocos (Keeling) Island

NSW = New South Wales

NT = Northern Territory

Qld = Queensland

SA = South Australia

Tas = Tasmania

Vic = Victoria

WA = Western Australia

NI = Norfolk Island

LHI = Lord Howe Island

ACT = Australian Capital Territory
(Canberra region only - excludes Jervis Bay Territory)

 

Australia map

LINKS OF INTEREST

Sea Snakes
School of Biomedical Sciences 

Australian Sea Snakes
Facebook


RECOMMENDED AMAZON BOOKS
(Affiliate commission earned)

A Naturalist's Guide to the Snakes of Australia A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia 5th edition Edition

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases



OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST

Find a Random Species of Australian Reptile

Visit the Australian Herpetology Website







SEA SNAKES BY STATE OR TERRITORY

SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SEA SNAKES OF NSW

QLD SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

NT SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

WA SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SEA SNAKES OF VICTORIA

SEA SNAKES OF TASMANIA - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

Sea Snakes
of
Australia

Sea Snakes
of South
Australia

Sea Snakes
of
NSW

Sea Snakes
of
Qld

 Sea Snakes
of
NT
 Sea Snakes
of
WA

Sea Snakes
of
Victoria

Sea Snakes
of
Tasmania

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE SPECIES LISTS BY STATE OR TERRITORY

Reptiles of South Australia
REPTILES OF VICTORIA
 REPTILES OF NSW REPTILES OF QUEENSLAND REPTILES OF NORTHERN TERRITORY REPTILES OF Western Australia Reptiles of the ACT(Canberra)

Reptiles of South Australia

Reptiles
of
Victoria

Reptiles
of
NSW

Reptiles
of
Qld

Reptiles
of
NT

Reptiles
of
WA

Reptiles
of the
ACT

Reptiles of Tasmania



Reptiles of Lord Howe Island

Reptiles of Christmas Island

Reptiles
of Cocos Keeling Islands

Reptiles of Norfolk Island


Reptiles of Australia

Selection of Australian Frogs

Reptiles of the World

Amphibians of the World

Reptiles
of
Australia

Frogs
of
Australia

Reptiles
of
The World

Amphibians of the
World


About John Fowler | John Hollister (deceased 2023) | Report Faulty Link | Report an Error

Contact John Fowler Author of the Australian Herpetology Website

John Hollister (deceased 2023) Author of the Sweetwater, Texas Rattlesnake Roundup

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Updated January 21, 2025

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