﻿300 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  The 
  Sea 
  Snakes 
  

  

  The 
  sea 
  snakes 
  (family 
  Hydrophidae) 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  tropical 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  Pacific 
  and 
  Indian 
  Oceans. 
  They 
  occur 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Asia 
  

   from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Persia 
  to 
  southern 
  Japan, 
  among 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  

   Oceania, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  tropical 
  Australia. 
  All 
  the 
  species 
  but 
  

   one 
  stay 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  shallow 
  waters 
  near 
  the 
  coast, 
  especially 
  near 
  river 
  

   mouths. 
  They 
  feed 
  entirely 
  upon 
  fish. 
  Those 
  sea 
  snakes 
  with 
  the 
  

   smallest 
  heads 
  and 
  slenderest 
  bodies 
  limit 
  their 
  diet 
  to 
  eels. 
  Some- 
  

   times 
  on 
  a 
  calm 
  day 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen, 
  often 
  in 
  hundreds, 
  basking 
  

   upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  Their 
  structure 
  is 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  an 
  

   aquatic 
  existence, 
  since 
  the 
  tail 
  has 
  become 
  compressed 
  and 
  rudder- 
  

   like, 
  while 
  the 
  ventral 
  plates 
  are 
  much 
  reduced 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  

   appearing 
  like 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  scales 
  covering 
  the 
  body. 
  The 
  

   poison 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  deadly 
  than 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  cobra, 
  while 
  some 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  only 
  slightly 
  poison- 
  

   ous. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  inclined 
  to 
  bite 
  except 
  when 
  forcibly 
  restrained 
  and 
  

   are 
  said 
  never 
  to 
  attack 
  bathers 
  in 
  the 
  water. 
  Fishermen 
  are 
  sometimes 
  

   bitten 
  when 
  they 
  haul 
  in 
  a 
  sea 
  snake 
  along 
  with 
  their 
  net 
  of 
  fish, 
  and 
  

   sometimes 
  fatalities 
  result, 
  because 
  these 
  fishermen 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  of 
  

   seeking 
  trained 
  medical 
  assistance. 
  All 
  sea 
  snakes 
  bear 
  their 
  young 
  

   alive, 
  2 
  to 
  18 
  at 
  a 
  time, 
  in 
  tide 
  pools 
  and 
  shallow 
  flats 
  of 
  deserted 
  

   shores. 
  Few 
  sea 
  snakes 
  exceed 
  4 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  although 
  examples 
  

   of 
  two 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  measuring 
  nearly 
  9 
  feet. 
  

  

  AFRICA 
  

  

  The 
  Dark 
  Continent 
  has 
  nearly 
  as 
  great 
  an 
  array 
  of 
  poisonous 
  

   serpents 
  as 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  Asia. 
  While 
  the 
  king 
  cobra 
  of 
  southern 
  Asia 
  

   claims 
  the 
  record 
  of 
  being 
  the 
  world's 
  largest 
  poisonous 
  snake, 
  Africa 
  

   has 
  the 
  distinction 
  of 
  having 
  produced 
  2 
  kinds 
  of 
  spitting 
  snakes 
  — 
  

   both 
  cobras 
  — 
  which 
  blow 
  their 
  venom 
  into 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  attacker 
  

   from 
  a 
  distance 
  up 
  to 
  12 
  feet. 
  Africa 
  is 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  about 
  30 
  kinds 
  

   of 
  true 
  vipers 
  also, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  very 
  peculiar. 
  

  

  Since 
  sea 
  snakes 
  do 
  not 
  occur 
  in 
  Atlantic 
  waters, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  

   east 
  coast 
  of 
  Africa 
  that 
  we 
  find 
  an 
  occasional 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   far-traveling 
  species 
  that 
  occurs 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  coast 
  of 
  Central 
  

   America. 
  

  

  No 
  pit 
  vipers 
  occur 
  in 
  Africa. 
  The 
  remaining 
  family 
  containing 
  

   dangerous 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  is 
  the 
  Colubridae, 
  of 
  which 
  one 
  section, 
  

   the 
  rear-fanged 
  snakes, 
  is 
  represented 
  in 
  Africa 
  by 
  the 
  boomslang 
  and 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  snakes 
  having 
  poisons 
  of 
  varying 
  degrees 
  of 
  toxicity. 
  

  

  No 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Madagascar. 
  

  

  