Laticauda colubrina

Snakes - Laticauda ( Laticauda colubrina )

The snakes - Laticauda ( Laticauda colubrina ) counts within the family of poisonous snakes ( Elapidae ) and the subfamily of the sea snakes ( Hydrophiinae ) to the genus of flatfish tails ( Laticauda ). The species was first described scientifically in 1799 by the German naturalist Johann Gottlob Schneider.

Features

The snakes platform tail has a cylindrical, slender physique, the head is oval and is hardly on the body. The animal reaches a body length of 110-140 cm and is shown striking. The basic color is between yellow, whitish blue and dark blue, while pulling relatively regular black transverse bands on the body. The top of the head is black, the muzzle top and lace is yellowish or equal to the base color. Between the eye and mouth corners a black band is seen, as well foot bottom is black spotted and streaked around the edge. The black drawing of the head can pass in the first horizontal stripes in the neck or attached to it. The tail is flattened vertically flowed shaped.

Way of life

The snakes - Laticauda is nocturnal and sticks a day often out of the water in dry crevices and caves among the rocks on the coast. Even when climbing small shrubs species was already observed. Laticauda colubrina often penetrates quite deep into the countryside of Islands, the Solomon Islands he has established himself in this way in the brackish Lake Te'Nggano. He is probably the most on land -based sea serpent. Presumably, the snakes - Laticauda comes to recording of freshwater on land. It feeds as a food specialist of eel-like fish. In the Fiji Islands has been demonstrated that females eat larger prey than males, regardless of the size of the snake. From the onset of dusk, the animals make in search of food, prey animals are tracked with the sense of smell and paralyzed with a poison bite. Snakes platform tails are oviparous ( egg-laying ) snakes. The females put a clutch in circumference 4-20 eggs from the beach, some in mass gatherings.

Snake venom

The snakes - Laticauda has comparatively small, fixed fangs in the front upper jaw, on the one bite at a highly potent toxin is released. It is composed mainly of neurotoxins. It also shows myotoxic properties and thus also nephrotoxic effect by dead muscle cells.

Bites may well go unnoticed, since hardly any local reactions occur. Life-threatening consequences can be circulatory failure or respiratory paralysis. Bite accidents are indeed detected, but due to the nocturnal lifestyle and very low aggressiveness extremely rare.

Occurrence

The snakes platform tail is used in the East Indies and in the western Pacific Ocean. It is found from Sri Lanka Southeast Asia to Japan and penetrate to the Fiji islands. The type adheres near the coast and mostly in coral reefs, mangrove forests and between rocks.

Protection status

The snakes platform tail - provided in Appendix D of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation under protection - including his skin.