Animals - Aquariums - Archeology - Insects - Fossils - Zoos

Mar. 02 This banded sea snake is one of a pair now on exhibit at the New York Aquarium. The sea snake, a native of the Indo - Pacific region has a venomous bite that can be fatal to humans.New York Aquarium Exhibits Sea Snakes: Brooklyn, N.Y. -- While the question of wheter or not a sea monster lurks in Scotland's Loch Ness remains speculative, Brooklyn now has a sea serpent of its own -- two sea serpents, in fact. A pair of banded sea snakes has been placed on exhibition in the main hall of the New York Aquarium at Coney Island. Sea snakes are the only living sea serpents whose existence is a scienticfic certainty. Several different kinds of sea snakes live in the Indo-Pacific area. The aquarium's snakes which were donated by Arthur Heine of Marine Tropical Imports, were captured off the Philippine Islands. Each of the snakes is about three feet long, and marked with bands of grey and black. All sea snakes have venomous bites capable of causing death in humans. However, most of them are not particuarly aggressive. Sea snakes are often found near estuaries and sometimes swim for long distance up rivers. They also are common near islands and coral reefs. However, great bands of sea snakes have been sighted far from land, sometimes basking at the surface of swimming with their heads out of water. These animals, as reptiles, breathe atmospheric air, but they can remain underwater for as long as a half-hour. The tail of the sea snake is flattened vertically in a shape that is oarlike, an adaption that permits efficiencey in swimming. when grounded, most sea snakes ar relatively helpless, but the banded sea snake can travel over-land and lays its eggs on coral reefs

Restrictions Only for United Kingdom

Adaption Aggressive Aquarium Aquariums Banded Bands Basking Bite Bites Breathe Capable Causing Certainty Coney Coral Donated Eggs Estuaries Exhibit Exhibits Fact Fatal Flattened Grounded Half-hour Heine Helpless However Humans Imports Indo Indo-pacific Kinds Lays Loch Lurks Ness Often Permits Philippine Placed Question Reefs Relatively Remain Reptiles Scotlands Serpent Serpents Sighted Snakes Sometimes Speculative Venomous Vertically

Features In These Collections

> Contributors > KEY