Banded Sea Krait - Venomous Sea Snake

Banded Sea Krait

The Banded Sea Krait is the most-common of sea snakes in the Indo Pacific region. Females can grow to more than one metre long. They predate on eels, which they paralyze with their potent venom and then swallow whole. They're actually amphibious, as they often go onto land to lay eggs and digest their meals. Their flattened tails are very similar in appearance to their heads, which is an evolutionary development to confuse & discourage predators.

Banded Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina) Raja Ampat Indonesia swimming across the reef looking for prey.
Banded Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina)
Credit: Johan Folmeus
Banded Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina) Koh Haa, Thailand
Banded Sea Krait
Credit: Margaret (Peggy) Scott
Banded Sea Krait Laticauda colubrina
Scientific Rank
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata (Chordates)
Subphlum: Olfactores
Subphlum: Vertebrates
Subphlum: Gnathostomata
Class:
Tetrapoda
Subclass: Reptilia: Reptiles
Order: Squamata (Scaled Reptiles)
Family: Hydrophiidae (Hydrophiidae)
Genus: Laticauda (Laticauda)
Species: Laticauda colubrina
Size
Average Size: 75 centimetres - 1.25 metres

Although most sea snakes are far more venomous than any snakes on land, they are no danger to humans. How can this be? Well, for a start terrestial snakes are weighed down by gravity and this restrictions how many dimensions they are able to escape in? It's easy to corner a terrestial snake, making it more dangerous. But in water the sea snake can escape in any direction, including up or down. Therefore, if it feels threatened, escape is easy. Secondly, the mouth of sea snakes is very small, meaning that even if it wanted to bite a human, it would be very difficult.

Banded Sea Kraits are a lot of fun to dive with. They swim across the coral reef in search of food, and don't seem at all interested in divers, even those who get very close, or shove a GoPro in their face. In one of our videos here, the snake gets so close to teh GoPro lens that it goes out of focus.

No Troubles Just Bubbles' divers who recently saw Banded Sea Krait

Michelle
Spotted in: Thailand Thailand
Diving from boat: Manta Queen 7
Trip destinations: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Boonsung Wreck
When: Apr 2023
Scott
Spotted in: Thailand Thailand
Diving from boat: Deep Andaman Queen
Trip destinations: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock
When: Feb 2023
Cailyn
Spotted in: Thailand Thailand
Diving from boat: The Junk
Trip destinations: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Boonsung Wreck
When: Nov 2022
Dani N
Spotted in: Thailand Thailand
Diving from boat: Merdeka 3
Trip destinations: Racha Yai, Racha Noi, Koh Phi Phi
When: Sep 2022
Mike
Spotted in: Thailand Thailand
Diving from boat: Merdeka 3
Trip destinations: Racha Yai, Racha Noi, Koh Phi Phi
When: Aug 2022
Joel Rajesh
Spotted in: Thailand Thailand
Diving from boat: Andaman
Trip destinations: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock
When: Apr 2022

Have you ever seen Banded Sea Krait when diving?
Is there anything you would like to add or change about the Banded Sea Krait?
Let us know your thoughts by adding a comment below.

Comments

Thomas
0
Thomas
1 week ago
I saw one today in mauritius, pereybere!
Like Like like 1 Quote
Darya
1
Darya
2 months ago
Saw it today snorkeling at TARP, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo
Like Like Quote
Seth
1
Seth
4 months ago
Saw a banded sea krait snorkelling off Koh Haa
Like Like Quote
David Turner
1
David Turner
1 year ago
paddling in the sea off Sanur beach.
Spotted ome on the sand bottom. Coiled up facing me about 1 metre away. Kicked sand at it. After about 15 seconds it turned and swam out. Did not know what it was until I read this site.
Like Like Quote
Free Scuba Diver!
T-shirt & wrist band
+ Drybag or Beach towel

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.