Sea Snake Species of Abu Dhabi
22/06/2007 00:00:00Sea Snake Facts
- Snakes comprise the most recently evolved group of reptiles having evolved from lizards only 130 million years ago during the late Jurassic period.
- Like land snakes, sea snakes are air-breathing and limbless. Other similarities include a reduced left lung, forked tongues and eyes with no lids.
- All sea snake groups have evolved a suite of traits for life in the water. These adaptations include paddle tails to assist with propulsion in the water, valved nostrils enabling the nostrils to remain closed while under water, relatively impermeable skins to reduce passage of water via the skin and salt glands situated on the floor of the mouth under the tongue to excrete salt.
- Sea snakes shed their skins every two to six weeks.
The reptiles were collected between 2002- 2006 off Marawah Island, Jernain Island and Abu Dhabi Island. The Agency recorded at least four sea snake species in Abu Dhabi waters; the: Arabian Gulf Sea Snake, Yellow-bellied Sea Snake, Short Sea Snake and one unidentified species of the genus Hydrophis. The snakes all measured between 50 – 77 cm long.
The Arabian Gulf Sea Snake, the most common sea snake in Abu Dhabi waters, is dangerous and its bite can be fatal. However, according to the Agency, this species is usually docile. It lives in warm, shallow waters or in sea grass. It is yellow in colour, sometimes a pale dull green or grey, with dark bands along the length of its body.
Approximately 50 species of sea snakes occur in warm tropical waters and are distributed across the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Ten sea snake species have been described in the Arabian Gulf.
