Leaf-scaled sea snake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leaf-scaled sea snake |
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| Museum specimen | |
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| Genus: |
Aipysurus
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| Species: |
foliosquama
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The leaf-scaled sea snake (scientific name: Aipysurus foliosquama) is a type of sea snake that is venomous. It belongs to the Elapidae family, which includes many snakes known for their strong venom. This snake was once thought to live only around the Ashmore and Cartier Islands near Australia. Sadly, it was even believed to have disappeared from there.
But in 2015, something exciting happened! A group of these snakes was found living in the seagrass beds of Shark Bay in Western Australia. This discovery showed that the species was still around, even though its original home seemed to be gone.
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What Does It Look Like?
The leaf-scaled sea snake is not a very large snake. It usually grows to about 800 millimeters long, which is about 31 inches. Its body is a pretty purple-brown color.
Scientists don't know a lot about this snake because it's quite rare. However, they do know what it likes to eat! It hunts for small fish like wrasse and gudgeon. These snakes are good at chasing their prey through the cracks and hiding spots in coral reefs.
Where Does It Live?
The leaf-scaled sea snake's home range has gotten much smaller over time. Today, the only known group of these snakes lives in Shark Bay on the western coast of Australia. This population is also shrinking, which is a worry for scientists.
These snakes prefer to live in shallow waters, usually no deeper than 10 meters (about 33 feet). They like areas with seagrass beds, which provide good places to hide and hunt.
The Big Discovery
Before 2015, the only places where this snake was known to live were the Ashmore and Hibernia Reefs. These reefs are in the Timor Sea, about 1,700 kilometers (over 1,000 miles) away from Shark Bay. The snakes had disappeared from those reefs, making people think they might be gone forever.
That's why finding them in Shark Bay was such a big deal! It gave hope that this unique sea snake could still survive.
Why Is It Important to Protect It?
The number of leaf-scaled sea snakes has gone down a lot, and their living areas have shrunk. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists their status as "data deficient." This means there isn't enough information to know exactly how threatened they are, but it's clear they are in trouble.
This snake is even listed as one of The World's 100 Most Threatened Species. This shows how important it is to protect them and their habitats so they don't disappear completely.
