Life at Sea – Pelagic Sea Snake

The pelagic sea snake is a venomous snake that can get up to about 1 meter (3 feet) in length. So how do these slippery reptiles live? Well, during the day they will be out hunting and when night falls they head to the ocean floor and sleep. Occasionally, they will need to come to the surface to grab a breath of fresh air. Impressively, the sea snake can stay underwater for almost three and a half hours. How can they breathe underwater for so long? That is a very good question! Thank you for asking. The pelagic sea snake utilizes something called cutaneous breathing. Basically, they are able to breathe through their skin by removing the oxygen from the water and releasing carbon dioxide (maybe they are the cause of climate change!). Another interesting feature of the sea snake that allows them to live under water is their salt gland. This special gland under their tongue allows them to filter the salt out of the water. Obviously, this is a very important characteristic for surviving in a marine environment.

For the most part, you don’t need to worry about these venomous snakes as they don’t tend to be aggressive; however, they have been known to aggregate together by the thousands. Something tells me that most of you would not try swimming through thousands of yellow-bellied sea snakes or any kind of snake for that matter. I for one don’t blame you!