Hydrophiidae
Yellow-bellied Seasnake
Hydrophis platurus
A closer look
Yellow-bellied Seasnake (Hydrophis platurus) is native to California and Hawaii. This fully marine elapid is most often associated with warm coastal waters and nearshore habitat and typically feeds on fish and eels.
- Habitat
- Warm coastal waters and nearshore habitat
- On the menu
- Fish and eels
- Behavior
- An aquatic hunter adapted to moving and feeding in coastal water.
A suspected bite needs emergency medical care. Do not wait for symptoms or use this guide to judge severity.
Safety & bite guidance ↗Where it is listed
A sense of place.
Checklist presence only. A highlighted state is not a local range boundary. Territory tiles are schematic.
State & territory checklist
About continuous range data
A verified habitat-model layer is not available for this species in this release. Earlier broad sketches connected jurisdiction locations; they did not show measured occurrence or USGS habitat predictions.
Use USGS distribution resources ↗ for available modeled habitat data.
Names, sources & image evidence
Also known as: No additional names recorded.
Taxonomy: provisional. Territory checklist entries may be provisional. Field descriptions include broad group-level natural-history summaries.
Research Grade iNaturalist observation 210376839 has taxon Hydrophis platurus, matched through the accepted name
Conservation & local rules
Collection, possession, relocation, and protection rules vary by state and territory. Check the relevant wildlife agency before taking action. Leave wild snakes where they are.