Banded sea snake under water. Sea snakes include 60 species of marine snakes from the cobra family (Elapidae). They live in marine environments for most or all of their lives.

They are aquatic rather than land dwelling snakes. The lone serpent was photographed slithering on the sand. These reptiles fall into two groups: true sea snakes (subfamily Hydrophiinae) and sea kraits (subfamily Laticaudinae). This is an extremely rare occurrence as these snakes inhabit tropical waters within the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The true sea snakes are most closely related to … For many years, it was placed in the monotypic genus Pelamis, but recent molecular evidence indicates it lies within the genus Hydrophis. A yellow-bellied sea snake washed ashore on Fish Hoek Beach on Tuesday, September 22. Sea snake, any of more than 60 species of highly venomous marine snakes of the cobra family (Elapidae). Sea snakes are closely related to Cobras. Sea snakes are an incredibly specialized group of reptiles, which are perfectly adapted to ocean life, and few of them ever come ashore. Sea snakes, or "coral reef snakes", are venomous elapid snakes. Read on to learn about the sea snake.

They evolved from snakes that lived on the land. There are two independently evolved groups: the true sea snakes (subfamily Hydrophiinae), which are related to Australian terrestrial elapids, and the sea kraits (subfamily Laticaudinae), which are related to the Asian cobras. Sea Snakes have adapted to a life in water and have small flattened heads that minimizes water resistance when they swim. The yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus) is a venomous species of snake from the subfamily Hydrophiinae (the sea snakes) found in tropical oceanic waters around the world except for the Atlantic Ocean. True sea snakes only live in water. At present, 17 genera are described as sea snakes, with 62 species. There are a number of interesting adaptations and traits unique to these snakes.