Black-banded sea krait
Encyclopedia
The black-banded sea krait, Laticauda semifasciata, known in Okinawa as the erabu, is a member of the Laticauda
genus
of sea snakes. It is found in most of the warm waters of the western Pacific Ocean
.
This venomous snake frequents coral reef
areas. It has a short head, thick trunk, and no neck to speak of. The tail is simply extended skin, spread wide like a fin, and unsupported by any projection. The stomach is comparatively wide. Massing together near the shore, they breed between narrow cracks in the reef and in caves. It is a nocturnal snake that is rarely seen during the day. It requires oxygen to breathe and so breaks the surface every six hours.
They are too slow to catch fish in a straight chase, so they hunt for fish hiding in the coral. Their bite is highly venomous and paralyzes their prey.
They lay their eggs on land.
Generally found in Fiji, Southern Japan and Singapore their venom is ten times stronger than that of a cobra, making them extremely dangerous. Fortunately, this snake does not bite humans unless it feels threatened.
The erabu snake is a winter staple in southern Japan where it is believed to replenish a female's womanhood.
Erabu soup is said to taste like misu and a bit like tuna.
Laticauda
Laticauda is a genus of snakes from the family Hydrophiidae. Laticauda are the least adapted to sea life of all the members of Hydrophiidae; they retain the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes and have only a poorly developed tail fin...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of sea snakes. It is found in most of the warm waters of the western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
This venomous snake frequents coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
areas. It has a short head, thick trunk, and no neck to speak of. The tail is simply extended skin, spread wide like a fin, and unsupported by any projection. The stomach is comparatively wide. Massing together near the shore, they breed between narrow cracks in the reef and in caves. It is a nocturnal snake that is rarely seen during the day. It requires oxygen to breathe and so breaks the surface every six hours.
They are too slow to catch fish in a straight chase, so they hunt for fish hiding in the coral. Their bite is highly venomous and paralyzes their prey.
They lay their eggs on land.
Generally found in Fiji, Southern Japan and Singapore their venom is ten times stronger than that of a cobra, making them extremely dangerous. Fortunately, this snake does not bite humans unless it feels threatened.
The erabu snake is a winter staple in southern Japan where it is believed to replenish a female's womanhood.
Erabu soup is said to taste like misu and a bit like tuna.