Surveying off the coast of Western Australia , researchershave discoveredtwo species of rarefied and endangered ocean Snake River , thought to have become extinct 15 geezerhood ago . The venomous reptiles , which are adapt to spending their entire life at sea in and around coral reefs , were only previously known from one site , and were last spotted there in 2000 . This raw finding gives promise that the two species , the leaf - scale sea snake ( Aipysurus foliosquama ) and the short - nosed sea snake in the grass ( Aipysurus apraefrontalis ) , have hang in , surviving over a much large area than formerly intend .
“ This breakthrough is really exciting , we get another hazard to protect these two indigenous westerly Australian sea serpent species , ” explains Blanche D’Anastasi , go source of the study put out inBiological Conservation , in astatement . “ But for come after in protect them , we will require to supervise populations as well as undertake enquiry into understand their biology and the menace they face . ”
investigator were first alerted to the possibility that one of the metal money of ocean snake , the critically endangered brusk - nosed ocean snake , was still present off the Western Australian sea-coast when a span of the reptiles were photograph on the Ningaloo Reef . The image was institutionalise to D’Anastasi , who was “ blown by ” when she saw it . “ These potentially extinct Snake River were there in plain sight , ” she said .
The Ningaloo Reef is a World Heritage Site in the north - Rebecca West of Australia and is domicile to a riches of maritime sprightliness . The reef is famous for its yearly hulk shark migration , but is also an important stopping off site during the wintertime month for mahimahi , humpback whale , Dugong dugon , and manta irradiation as they move along the glide . The Rand stretches for around 260 kilometers ( 160 miles ) , and yet is less than half a kilometre ( 0.3 mile ) from shoring , pretend it the large fringing coral reef in the world .
Interestingly , the Ningaloo Reef is actually1,700 kilometers(1,056 miles ) south of where the snakes were last recorded , which was on the Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea . This mean that not only have the research worker rediscovered the mintage , they ’ve also massively extended their kitchen range . In plus to that , the scientists also found the snakes living in ocean green goddess , whereas previously it was thought that they endure exclusively on coral reefs . This , coupled with the expansion of their range , means there could be more suitable habitat for the Snake than antecedently thought .
Despite these positivistic findings , the researchers note that sea snakes in cosmopolitan are actually come quite ill . The reptiles are turn down in many nautical reserve , and scientists are at a loss as to why . Many are take in as by - catch from trawl for prawns , but this does n’t explicate the decline of the snakes in the Ashmore Reef , for example , as sportfishing is banned there .
Main double : Richard Ling / Flickr . CC BY - NC - ND 2.0
paradigm in text : Full depiction of the two little - nosed sea Snake River , which is the original photo that alerted D’Anastasi to the metal money surving on the Ningaloo Reef . Grant Griffin / W.A. Dept . Parks and Wildlife
