Olive sea snake

Aipysurus laevis · The olive sea snake is a venomous sea snake that lives on coral reefs in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, including the Great Barrier Reef.

Also called Golden sea snake, Olive-brown sea snake.

Olive sea snake
Photo: Christopher Mark, CC BY 4.0
Olive sea snake
Photo: Kai Squires, CC BY 4.0
Olive sea snake
Photo: Christopher Mark, CC BY 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyElapidae
GenusAipysurus
SpeciesAipysurus laevis

Where it lives

Coral reefs of the tropical eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific, from Indonesia to New Caledonia and the Great Barrier Reef.

Fun facts

  • This snake can sense light through its tail, which probably helps it keep its whole body hidden inside coral holes during the day.
  • Olive sea snakes hunt by poking their heads into crevices in the coral reef to search for food.
  • The snake's venom is rich in enzymes that help break down prey from the inside, making digestion easier.
  • Male olive sea snakes sometimes approach divers, possibly because they mistake the divers for female sea snakes.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).