In the world of snakes, the Sea Snake family (Hydrophiidae) consists of medium to small species that thrive in marine environments. They possess flattened tails resembling paddles and have venom potent enough to be fatal to humans. In Vietnam, they are commonly referred to as “den.”
Spine-tailed Sea Snake (Aipysurus eydouxii). Size: 50 cm long. Distribution: From Binh Thuan (Ke Ga Cape, Phan Thiet) to the Gulf of Thailand. (Photo: Ria Tan / Flickr).
Mouth Sea Snake (Enhydrina schistosa). Size: 115 cm long. Distribution: Provinces from Ninh Thuan to the Gulf of Thailand. (Photo: Aviad Bar / Flickr).
Striped Sea Snake (Hydrophis ornatus). Size: 100 cm long. Distribution: Common in the Northeast through the Central region (Phan Thiet, Ke Ga Cape, Vung Tau) to the Southern Sea. (Photo: Wikipedia).
Yellow-bellied Sea Snake (Hydrophis caerulescens). Size: 74 cm long. Distribution: Southern Central Coast (Phan Thiet, Phan Ri, Ke Ga Cape), Southeast (Vung Tau). (Photo: Marine Life of Mumbai).
Banding Sea Snake (Hydrophis fasciatus). Size: 110 cm long. Distribution: Northern Gulf of Tonkin, Central region (Ke Ga Cape), Southern region, and Con Dao. (Photo: iNaturalist).
Hardwicke’s Sea Snake (Hydrophis hardwickii). Size: 86 cm long. Distribution: Found in most sea areas from North to South. (Photo: Facts.net).
Black-ringed Sea Snake (Hydrophis torquatus). Size: 104 cm long. Distribution: From the Eastern part of Northern region through the Central region (Phan Thiet, Ke Ga Cape, Vung Tau) to the Southern region. (Photo: Encyclopedia of Life).
Irregular-scaled Sea Snake (Hydrophis viperinus). Size: 93 cm long. Distribution: From the Gulf of Tonkin, along the coast of Vietnam to the Gulf of Thailand. (Photo: Sanjaya Kanishka).
