Aipysurus duboisii | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Elapidae |
Genus: | Aipysurus |
Species: | A. duboisii
|
Binomial name | |
Aipysurus duboisii | |
Synonyms | |
Aipysurus australis Sauvage, 1877[4] Pelagophis lubricus W. Peters & Doria, 1878[5] |
Aipysurus duboisii, also known commonly as Dubois' sea snake and the reef shallows sea snake, is a species of extremely venomous snake in the subfamily Hydrophiinae of the family Elapidae. Its geographic range includes Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and the northern, eastern and western coastal areas of Australia, that is the Coral Sea, Arafura Sea, Timor Sea and Indian Ocean.[6][4] It lives at depths up to 80 meters (262 feet) in coral reef flats, sandy and silty sediments which contain seaweed, invertebrates and corals or sponges that can serve as shelter. It preys upon moray eels and various fish that live on the seafloor, up to 110 cm (3.6 feet) in size. A. duboisii is viviparous, giving birth to live young rather than laying eggs.[7][8] It displays medium aggressiveness, i.e., will bite if provoked, but not spontaneously.[9] The fangs are 1.8 mm long, which are relatively short for a snake, and the venom yield is 0.43 mg.[10] Aipysurus duboisii is a crepuscular species, meaning that it is most active at dawn and dusk.[11]
It is the most venomous sea snake, and one of the top three most venomous snakes in the world.[12][13][14]
h115
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).