Sea snakes of the Exmouth Gulf

Overview

Exmouth Gulf is home to a unique sea snake fauna with 11 of the 30 known sea snake species in Australia resident in the Gulf and a further five (5) species thought to be vagrants to the region. Compared with other regions of Western Australia, a lot is known about the species within the Exmouth Gulf due to extensive ecotourism, ongoing targeted research and local prawn trawling operations which frequently encounter sea snakes as bycatch. Identification of sea snakes is often considered challenging, particularly among the diverse genus Hydrophis. While this is true of many parts of the world where up to 25 species may inhabit the same area, fortunately in Western Australia and the Exmouth Gulf in particular, most species can be reliably distinguished by colour pattern and other easily observed characteristics. This guide provides users with identification information and a summary of known behaviour and ecology for 10 of the commonly trawled species in the Exmouth Gulf, and a further four (4) species that are vagrant to the region.