Laticauda colubrina or yellow-lipped sea krait is a venomous snake usually found in cracks of cliffs and under rocks on the shores of small islands. The yellow-lipped sea krait is called so because it has yellow lips and its head is marked black and yellow with the yellow markings extending from the snout to a line between its eyes and has creamy or grey snout and labials. Above, it is light or dark bluish-grey with 24-26 uniformly wide, black bands encircling its body with 3-5 more on its paddle-like tail that is used for swimming. The ventral surface (its belly) is yellowish between the black bands. This krait can grow to about 1.3 – 1.6 m in length and adult females are usually larger than adult males and prefer hunting in deeper water for a single larger prey while the adult males prefer hunting in shallower water for multiple smaller preys. It will then return to land in order to digest its prey which includes moray eels and small fishes. This krait is oviparous making it the only sea snake that lay eggs and comes ashore to breed.
No | Part | Habit | |
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1 |
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Oviparous — Reproduction through production of eggs that have membranes and/or shells.
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2 |
Terrestrial — An animal that lives on/near the ground or a plant that grows on/in/from land
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3 |
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Venomous — Capable of injecting venom by means of a bite or sting.
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No | Description | Suitability | Seasonality |
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1 |
Artificial - Aquatic → Mariculture Cages
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Suitable | Unknown |
2 |
Artificial - Aquatic → Marine Anthropogenic Structures
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Suitable | Unknown |
3 |
Marine Coastal/Supratidal → Coastal Caves/Karst
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Suitable | Unknown |
4 |
Marine Coastal/Supratidal → Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands
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Suitable | Unknown |
5 |
Marine Intertidal → Mangrove Submerged Roots
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Suitable | Unknown |
6 |
Marine Intertidal → Rocky Shoreline
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Suitable | Unknown |
7 |
Marine Intertidal → Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, etc.
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Suitable | Unknown |
8 |
Marine Neritic → Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs
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Suitable | Unknown |
Year Published | Assessment | Red List Category | Version |
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2010 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Least Concern (LC)
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3.1 |
Collection Center | Dried | Live | Slide | Wet | Total | |
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4 |
Profile | |
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Amirrudin Bin Ahmad (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
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Amphibians, Dragonflies and Damselflies, Fishes, Reptiles,
Biodiversity, Data Analysis, Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Living Modified Organism (LMO), Marine & Coastal, Protected Areas & Invasive Alien Species
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Chen Pelf Nyok (Dr.)
Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia (TCS)
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Turtle, Tortoise, and Terrapin (Ecology), Reptiles (Ecology),
Biodiversity, Conservation, Education & Environment
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Kaviarasu Munian (Mr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Reptiles (Ecology), Amphibians (Ecology), Fishes (Ecology),
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Lim Boo Liat (Dr.)
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Reptiles (Ecology), Rodents (Ecology), Amphibians (Ecology),
Biodiversity, Ecosystems & Invasive Alien Species
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Mohammad Shahfiz Azman (Mr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Amphibians, Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles,
Awareness, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Forest, Landscape, Law and Policy, Management, Protected Areas, Science, Systematics, Invasive Alien Species, Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC), National Policy on Biological Diversity, Policy, Research and Development (R&D) & Zoonotic
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Mohd Abdul Muin Bin Md Akil (Mr.)
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
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Amphibians, Birds, Reptiles, Snakes,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Evolution, Genetics, Molecular, Protected Areas, Climate Change & Invasive Alien Species
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Mohd Zulfadli Bin Mohd Arshad (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
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Rodents (Taxonomy), Reptiles,
Molecular, Biodiversity & Science
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Norhayati Binti Ahmad (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Frogs and Toads, Snakes, Amphibians, Reptiles,
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Teo Eng Wah (Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
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Reptiles, Amphibians,
Invasive Alien Species
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Acknowledgements :- Ms. Aida Salihah Binti Abu Bakar, Ms. Ajla Rafidah Baharom, Mrs. Aziemah Binti Kinan, Ms. Fatin Farisha Binti Mohd Jamil, Ms. Mira Farzana Binti Mohamad Mokhtar, Ms. Noor Amira Aini Binti Noor Anwar, Mr. Tan Kok Kiat & Mr. Yasser Mohamed Arifin
Species Citation :- Laticauda colubrina. Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Accessed via https://www.mybis.gov.my/sp/21174. [Retrieved 08 December 2023].
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