Reptiles · Squamata · Hydrophiidae

Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis platurus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The yellow-bellied sea snake is the most widely distributed snake in the world and the only completely pelagic one: it spends its whole life on the open sea without ever touching land. It is black above and yellow below, with a flattened, oar-shaped tail. It is viviparous, and the young are born straight into the water.

Size

70 cm – 1.1 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanCarnivore Nocturnal Variable activity Solitary Reptile Ocean

41countries 37parks 105dive sites

Fun facts

It is the only completely oceanic snake in the world: it never touches land, gives birth at sea and lets the currents carry it, turning up from East Africa to the coast of California.
It drinks rainwater: it cannot process salt water, so it waits for downpours and sips the thin layer of fresh water left floating on the surface of the sea, and can go months dehydrated while it waits.
It hunts by floating motionless in the drift lines where debris and small fish gather, and strikes backwards with a speed that is surprising in an animal that looks adrift.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Surface waters of the open tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 6 months of gestation
Litter / clutch size: 4 live young

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrophis_platurus