The terrestrial life of sea kraits: insights from a long-term study on two Laticauda species (Reptilia: Squamata: Elapidae) in the Andaman Islands, India

Abstract

Sea kraits forage in water and return to land to digest their prey, mate, slough, and lay their eggs. The temporal terrestrial patterns in encounter rate and behaviour of two species of sea kraits Laticauda colubrina and L. laticaudata were studied over four years at the New Wandoor beach in the southern Andaman Islands. The encounter rate of L. colubrina was found to be 20 times higher than L. laticaudata, and sea kraits were observed to prefer the natural refuge that the microhabitat of uprooted trees provide. Additionally, nesting observations are presented that emphasize the need to promote the conservation of these crucial terrestrial habitats.

Keywords

• andaman islands
• encounter rate
• habitat use
• india
• laticauda colubrina
• laticauda laticaudata
• nesting behaviour
• sea snake
• terrestrial pattern