Sea Snake ID?

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Don Becker
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Sea Snake ID?

Post by Don Becker »

This was posted somewhere else, and I wanted to know if anyone here could help with an ID. The snake was caught in a net off the cost of India.

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OntarioHerper
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Re: Sea Snake ID?

Post by OntarioHerper »

dont think that is actually a snake, looks like some sort of eel to me
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ThatFrogGuy
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Re: Sea Snake ID?

Post by ThatFrogGuy »

Looks like a nudibranch (sea slug). Definitely some type of invert.
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Soopaman
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Re: Sea Snake ID?

Post by Soopaman »

The raised tail fin (I'm not sure on the appropriate term) designed for locomotion makes me think it's a vertebrate more so than a sea slug. I'm not well versed on sea snakes or eels, but I'd lean towards eel.

From what I know, sea snakes are very, very roughly keeled (as are all water snakes it seems, yes?). This looks very smooth, flat, and not scaled, further giving the impression of an eel.
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Don Becker
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Re: Sea Snake ID?

Post by Don Becker »

OntarioHerper wrote:dont think that is actually a snake, looks like some sort of eel to me
I thought the same thing actually, but the person who posted it titled it as "Can anyone identify this sea snake" so I basically did the same.
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AtroxKR
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Re: Sea Snake ID?

Post by AtroxKR »

Looks like a brown spotted moray eel (Gymnothorax reevesii) to me.

Found commonly near India, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
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Chris Smith
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Re: Sea Snake ID?

Post by Chris Smith »

I agree... Eel.

-Chris
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