The Wahpeton times., 1906-03-08
VlUlOUS SEA SNAKES

lOOS SEA SNAKES
THERE ARE FIFTY VARIETIES, ALL OF
THEM vENoMoUs.
Ntth the Exception "f the Cobra and
Bush master of Africa. No Serpent
On land Kills So Quickly and Ter.
ribly ~ do Those of the Ocean.
Fc#rltSsncSS is one of the most strik'
ing characteristics Of sea snakes. and
l. adds greatly to the danger that is to
b. apprchen.lt.l from them. for 1t often
leads them to attack fishermen and
swimmers. ana even to climb up the
anchor chains AMI through the hawse
holes and attack the crew, and as the
bite of every one of the fifty known
varieties is fatal there IS great fear felt
of them in the ocean spaces which they
inlmhit.
These fifty varieties are all classified
under the general title of thanato-
phidia. None of them is able to live
nywhere except in ocean water Every
variety and Sul,variety is as poisonous
as the cobra or the bushmaster Of AZ
rica. Indeed. with the exception Of
these two land varieties, there ia no
snake on land that kills SO swiftly and
10 terribly as do the sea snakes. Ow-
ing to their fatal weapons and their
ease and celebrity in swimming there
are practically no enemies which de-
stroy enough of them to diminish their
numbers.
Almost aN the thanatophidia are
beautifully coloretl. even more gorgeous
than any Of the land snakes. with the
possible exception of the coral. Grass
and carpet snakes. They are banded,
striped. speckled and blotched with
reen. olive. yellow. blue and black and
present most brilliant spectacle az
they are seen swimming below the sur
face Of the transparent blue Of the Indi-
an ocean. When they are swimming at
the ordinary rate Of speed they seem
b undulate all over. They do not wind
through the water as the eel does, but
their locomotion resembles that Of the
caterpillar except that it is far more
graceful. and as they move and twist
the colors play along their sides and
backs as they do on the dolphin. When
they dash at their prey at full speed
they move like an arrow. with their
heads and necks thrust straight before
them ii they are swimming under the
surface. or. if they are darting along
the top OF the water. with their heads
elevated just enough to clear the
waves. When they are racing along
thus their sole means Of locomotion is
their broad paddle shaped tail. which
Ia peculiar To all the sea snakes and
forms the only striking difference be-
tween them and the ordinary land ser.
pent.
This paddle is used like steamers
screw and has immense power. Bent
sideways 1t will stop the snake imme-
diately as if the creature had anchored
suddenly When doing or resting over
reefs. which are common in the coral
banks. snakes hold fast to the rocks or
bottom with their broad tails and will
often sway in this way for hours in
calm weather.
Nell may have recovered from the
bites of these serpents, but there are
certainly none on record Most Of
their victims are Malay and other ma.
6ve fishermen. and shore dwellers and
physicians rarely get to see them.
Statistics are not Kept in that part
OF the world, SO 1t is impossible to
escertain how many are killed in this
way each year Travellers say that
there is hardly nshine village which
has not Its tale Of death to tell.
Scientists once held to the opinion
that the deadliness Of the bite was due
not to the venom. like that Of the land
snakes. but to some property that
caused blood poison. as does the bite
of many fishes which are not poisonous
In themselves. But this opinion was
changed after the medical men on
hoard the British warship Algerine had
made careful observations of sailor
who had been bitten. They proved
that the snakes were directly poison
Gus and that they carry fanss charged
with venom exactly like the cobra.
The open ocean is the home of the
sea snakes. They do not even ascend
the rivers. Their favorite haunts are
the arms of the sea. which separate
the islands of China. India and the
south Pacific seas. They don't stay
near the shores. but remain at some
distance from the land. They are inca
pable OF much movement on land. and
after wrigglng about and biting saw
agely they will stay still till they die.
They are found in many parts Of
the world in the Indian and Pacific
oceans. from Cape of Good Hope and
Madaga scar to the western shores Of
Panama and from New Zealand to
Japan. in the bay Of Bengal and the
sea around Nicobars. Molucca. TiDor
and New Guinea-Eew York Herald.
Double Flowers.