Olive Sea Snake

“Olive sea snakes can stay underwater for two hours without taking a breath”

The olive sea snake is sometimes called the golden sea snake or the olive-brown sea snake because of its coloration. It can grow up to six feet long and weigh up to six and a half pounds. It has a venomous bite it uses on its prey of fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. The olive-brown sea snake lives on coral reefs off the coast of Australia and Papua New Guinea.

4 Olive Sea Snake Amazing Facts

• It has special valves in its nose to keep water out while it is swimming
• It is commonly seen in a coral reef biome where it can hide among the vegetation and rocks
• Though it is not an aggressive snake, its venom has been the cause of human deaths
• It sheds its skin like other snakes by rubbing against rocks (underwater)

Where to Find Olive Sea Snake

Olive sea snakes are found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Specifically, they are seen off the coast of Australia and Papua New Guinea. These sea snakes live in warm water.

They exist in a coral reef biome where they find prey and take shelter from predators. Two of those predators include osprey and sharks. As a note, ospreys are likely to capture young or small olive-brown snakes that are moving near the surface of the water. Alternatively, large sharks can prey on olive-brown snakes while they are moving around coral reefs.

These venomous snakes sometimes visit areas of shallow water measuring around 13 feet in depth but can go as deep as 150 feet.

Scuba divers who frequent the coral reef biome are likely to see olive-brown snakes throughout the year. But they are even more visible from May through July. This is the olive sea snake’s breeding season. These sea creatures tend to hide in the coral reef during the day and hunt at night.

Olive-brown sea snakes live off the coasts of:

• Australia
• Papua New Guinea

Olive Sea Snake Scientific Name

Aipysurus laevis is the scientific name of the olive sea snake. The word laevis is Latin for smooth referring to its scales. It goes by other names that describe its color including the golden sea snake and the olive-brown sea snake.

It’s a part of the Elapidae family and the class Reptilia.

Olive Sea Snake Population and Conservation Status

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species describes the olive sea snake as the most commonly found sea snake species in the coral reef biome off the coast of Australia. While no number is attached to its total population, it’s reported as stable. Conservationists categorize this sea snake as Least Concern.

How to Identify Olive Sea Snake: Appearance and Description

The various names of this sea snake help to describe the smooth scales on its back. Its scales can be olive gray, olive-brown or even golden. This snake has a white or cream-colored belly. It has two large, dark eyes.

The olive-brown sea snake can be three to six feet long. Plus, it can weigh up to six and a half pounds.

Look at the tail of the golden sea snake and you’ll see it’s flat. It uses its tail like a paddle to propel it through the water in the coral reef biome. From that angle, its tail makes it look a little bit like an eel!

How to identify an olive sea snake:

• Smooth olive gray, olive-brown or golden scales
• White or cream underbelly
• Two large, dark eyes
• Flat, paddle-like tail

Olive Sea Snake Pictures

Olive Sea Snake Venom: How Dangerous Are They?

Olive sea snakes are venomous and potentially dangerous. However, they are not likely to attack unless they feel threatened.

The venom in its bite causes paralysis fairly quickly and has resulted in the deaths of people who were not able to get medical treatment in the form of antivenom right away. If someone is swimming in a coral reef biome and gets a bite from an olive sea snake, the most important thing is to get to a hospital immediately.

On the boat on the way to the hospital, the person who received the bite should be kept as calm and still as possible. It’s best to keep the bitten area immobile. The time or approximate time of the bite should be noted so it can be shared with medical professionals. Sometimes knowing how long the venom has been in the victim’s system can aid medical professionals in determining how much antivenom is necessary.

Olive Sea Snake Behavior and Humans

The size and strength of an olive-brown sea snake can be very imposing. Furthermore, though these sea snakes are not aggressive, they are certainly capable of giving a venomous bite. In short, they should be treated with respect as is true with any type of animal.

Scuba divers and swimmers who are exploring coral reefs near Australia are very likely to encounter this sea snake. The sea snake may swim around them out of curiosity!

Fishermen sometimes mistakenly capture golden sea snakes in their large nets. This situation carries with it the potential for a venomous bite. A fisherman may be bitten when trying to remove or release the sea snake back into the water.

Sometimes olive sea snakes travel through shallow areas where people are swimming or diving on a shoreline. An accidental encounter can cause a person to get a bite.

1. Oceana, Available here: https://oceana.org/marine-life/olive-sea-snake/
2. IUCN Redlist, Available here: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/132475824/83766285
3. Our Breathing Planet, Available here: https://www.ourbreathingplanet.com/olive-sea-snake/
4. Shark Bay, Available here: https://www.sharkbay.org/publications/fact-sheets-guides/sea-snakes/
5. Ecology Asia, Available here: https://www.ecologyasia.ecologyasia.net/verts/snakes/olive-sea-snake.htm
6. EOL, Available here: https://eol.org/pages/46559553/articles
7. The Reptile Database, Available here: http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Aipysurus&species=laevis&search_param=%28%28search%3D%27olive+sea+snake%27%29%29