Sea Snakes of the Eastern Gulf of Carpentaria

Abstract

Sea snakes from the eastern Gulf of Carpentaria were regularly sampled from April to December 1976. Thirteen species of snakes were represented among the 341 individuals collected. Over 61 % of these were of one species, Lapemis hardwickii, and none of the other 12 species represented more than 10% of the catch. There were several major differences between our sample and earlier studies in the Gulf and none of these differences could be accounted for. We speculate that earlier studies may have been due to biased samples or to real changes in sea snake distribution and abundance patterns caused by fishing.