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| Hydrophis cyanocintus (Annulated Sea Snake ) |
Hydrophis cyanocinctus
| Scientific Name: |
Hydrophis cyanocintus |
| English Name : |
Annulated Sea Snake |
| Local Name : |
Samundari Sanp or Khara Pani Wala Sanp or Balla |
Distinguishing Features
i. They are deadly venomous snakes.
ii. Their venom is neurotoxic in nature.
iii. The body is cylindrical anteriorly and compressed posteriorly.
iv. The head is broad and slightly depressed. In adults, the head is olive, reddish or dull yellow and in young snakes it is blackish in colour.
v. The snout is long.
vi. The scales on the body are impricate impbricate with rounded or blunt tip on the thick part of the body.
vii. The number of scales on the upper labial varies from 7 - 8 in number.
viii. The number of scales on the lower labial varies from 9 - 10 in number.
ix. The ground colour is dirty white, pale greenish or yellow.
x. The tail is darker in colour as compare to the rest of the body.
xi. The colour of the chin and throat is dark graygrey.
xii. The body is covered with sooty cross bands, which varies from 41 - 70 in number. The bands on mid dorsum are wider than the sides of the body. Similar bands are present on the tail, which vary from 6 - 9 in number.
xiii. The enlarged pre anal scales vary from 3 - 6 in number.
Size
Its length varies from 870 - 1885 mm.
Habit and Habitat
This specie of sea snake inhabits shallow muddy water. Shallow, muddy, mangrove swamps are their preferred habitats of this specie. During monsoon season these snakes can be seen 12 - 20 miles from Karachi offshore. These snakes They can crawl and lift their heads on the ground. They are aggressive by nature and do not like to be touched or handled and on doing so, attack and bite actively.
Food
They feed on fishes, crabs, prawns and other crustacean species.
Distribution
They are found in the Persian Gulf, Idzu Sea, Srilanka and Indonesia. Some species can also be witnessed in Burmese and the Indian Coasts. In Pakistan tThis specie is found in all the coastal areas of Pakistan.
Breeding
Mating Season: January - February
Birth: A female gives birth to 3 - 7 young ones in the months of April - June
Economic Importance
They are of great commercial and medicinal value for their skin and venom respectively. However, their shy nature and habitat make their availability and survival out of water almost impractical.
Status
Common | 
