| Family: |
Elapidae () |
| Max. size: |
150 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 10 m |
| Distribution: |
Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic: from the Bay of Bengal and Taiwan to Australia and the islands of Oceania. |
| Diagnosis: |
Moderately built. Black cross bands completely encircle the bluish body. Black head with yellow snout and upper lip, yellow bar extending from the eye to the temporal region (Ref. 2357). |
| Biology: |
It is found in fringing reefs and is observed to rest on rock crevices near the water edge (Ref. 88090). Also found in the open ocean, in mangroves and coral islands, usually in shallow waters (Ref. 98471). Emerges from rocks to feed in the sea (Ref. 75610). Forages on eels in shallow coastal waters and goes back to land to slough and digest its prey (Ref. 98471). Exhibits sex divergence in dietary habits, wherein adult females feed mainly on large conger eels and take only a single prey item while adult males feed on smaller moray eels and constantly ingest multiple prey items (Ref. 74654). It seeks shelter in vegetation, beneath rocks, within crevices and caves on land (Ref. 98471). Also found along the roads and some low mountains (Ref. 2355). More terrestrial in habits than Laticauda laticaudata, its congener (Ref. 98471). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
(LC); Date assessed: 15 February 2009 Ref. 123251)
|
| Threat to humans: |
|
| Country info: |
|
Source and more info: www.sealifebase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.
