“Extinct” Sea Snakes Rediscovered

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

The Olive sea snake, which is closely related to the two species rediscovered. Richard Ling/Flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Surveying off the coast of Western Australia, researchers have discovered two species of rare and endangered sea snakes, thought to have become extinct 15 years ago. The venomous reptiles, which are adapted to spending their entire lives at sea in and around coral reefs, were only previously known from one site, and were last spotted there in 2000.