Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Family: Elapidae

Genus: Laticauda

Species: L. colubrina

Conservation Status
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Banded sea kraits are characterized by their distinct black bands that are patterned over a gray-blue background. There are anywhere from 20 to 65 bands on any given banded sea krait. They have a cream or pale yellow underbelly. Females are larger than the males at 50 inches in length and about 4 pounds, while the males can grow up to 30 inches in length and barely weigh more than a pound.

The tail of the banded sea krait is an evolutionary adaptation that allows them to swim quickly and propel themselves through the water. Their tightly packed scales and nasal flaps prevent the creature from taking in more water than needed as they swim, and they can spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours underwater before needing to surface for air.
The banded sea krait can be found swimming throughout the eastern Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean. They prefer warmer climates, and often hide within crevices or under rocks offshore of the various islands littered throughout their range.

While the banded sea krait is known for being an aquatic snake, it actually spends a quarter to half of its life on land. When on land, the snake will lay eggs, digest food, molt, and mate.

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The banded sea krait’s favorite food are eels, and they hunt their prey by slithering through crevices in coral reefs and poking their heads through the spaces between pieces of coral. They use their neurotoxic venom to paralyze their prey and will swallow their food whole. Due to their larger size, female banded sea kraits seek out the bigger conger eels for a meal, and the males tend to hunt for the tinier moray eels. After eating its meal, the banded sea krait returns to land in order to digest their food, which can take weeks to finish. 

Banded sea kraits will also eat bony fish when the eel population is scarce. They have also been known to hunt in parties with other sea creatures like the goatfish and the giant trevally.
The mating ritual for the banded sea krait involves the male chasing after a female banded sea krait that is larger than himself under the assumption that they will produce larger offspring. One female banded sea krait has multiple partners throughout the season while a male will typically only mate with a single female. The female will lay up to 10 eggs in a given mating cycle, and the eggs hatch after approximately 4 months. Only two nests have ever been found in the wild so not much is known about infant banded sea kraits.
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The banded sea krait’s neurotoxin is an a-neurotoxin, a family of venoms that compete with the neurotransmitter acetylcholine for receptors in the postsynaptic membrane, where signals are sent to and through to control the body’s physiological functions. In this instance, the venom affects the banded sea krait’s prey’s diaphragm, paralyzing it and preventing the animal from breathing properly or being able to escape.

Luckily for humans, banded sea kraits rarely if ever view a person as either a threat or prey. Studies have shown that in one bite, these semi-aquatic snakes can produce enough venom to kill a human 12 times over.