Enhydrina
| Enhydrina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Hydrophiidae |
| Genus: | Enhydrina Gray, 1849 |
Enhydrina, commonly known as the beaked sea snake, hook-nosed sea snake, common sea snake, is a genus of highly venomous sea snakes. Study of Enhydrina is important for the making of anti-venom. The only sea snake anti-venom available at this time is for snakes in Malaysia of the Species Enhydrina schistosa, often noted as E. schistosa.
Species
- Enhydrina schistosa common throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. This species is implicated in more than 50% of all bites caused by sea snakes, as well as the majority of envenomings and fatalities. Also called the Valakadyn sea snake[1]
- Enhydrina zweifeli snakes are found from New Guinea to Australia (Northern Territory and Queensland). As called Sepik or Zweifel’s beaked seasnake.In the past they were thought to be Enhydrina schistosa, but after DNA testing are now provisionally identified as Enhydrina zweifeli. DNA test have shown they are not related to Enhydrina schistosa.[2][3]
Both species are found in shallow open sea, river mouths, estuaries, coastal lagoons, and mangrove forests. Normally in water from 3.7-22.2 meters deep. Usually over soft bottoms like mud and sand. Some are found in freshwater lakes in Cambodia and India. As been found to travel up rivers. One was found 7 km upriver in Goa, India.
References
- Footnotes
- ↑ Valenta 2010, p. 153
- ↑ Ukuwela, K.D.B. et al. (online 2012): Molecular evidence that the deadliest sea snake Enhydrina schistosa (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae) consists of two convergent species. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.031
- ↑ fox News, Deadliest sea snake splits in two, By Douglas Main,, December 11, 2012
- Bibliography
- Heatwole, H. (1999). Sea Snakes. New South Wales: University of New South Wales Press.
- Voris, Harold K. (1985). "Population size estimates for a marine snake (Enhydrina schistosa) in Malaysia." Copeia 1985 (4): 955–961
- Valenta, Jiri (2010). Venomous Snakes: Envenoming, Therapy (2nd ed.). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers. ISBN 978-1-60876-618-5.
- Whitaker, Romulus Earl (1978). Common Indian Snakes: A Field Guide. Delhi: Macmillan. OCLC 4638773.
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