Technical Report: Guide to the Sea Snakes of the Kimberley Coast of Western Australia
ABSTRACT: Australia’s Kimberley coast has the world’s highest recorded diversity of sea snakes supporting more than one third of all known species, with at least three species found only in this region. Sea snakes occupy varied habitats in the Kimberley, ranging from deeper offshore waters to shallow coral reefs and mangroves. Some Kimberley species have extremely small distributions and are considered critically endangered or endangered. For example, the Short-nosed Sea Snake (Aipysurus apraefrontalis) and Leaf-scaled Sea Snake (Aipysurus foliosquama) have disappeared from offshore Ashmore and Hibernia Reefs and are now known only from scattered records along the northwest coast.
This guide illustrates all know species and also summarises information on their biology and conservation. Some of these species even occur in Perth waters, mostly as vagrants.
Printed copies are available through the Department of Parks and Wildlife
http://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/..
www.ausmepa.org.au
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