sea snake information requested -- Curacao

[Lorenzoid]

The "banded" description is what stumped me about the original post, so I did not chime in earlier. Sure, there are no sea snakes in the Caribbean (barring some invasive species we may not be aware of), but I've only seen the eels mentioned previously, e.g., sharptail, goldspotted, etc., and none of those look very similar to the Pacific sea snakes with the bands. So I am still stumped.

 

[agilis]

The "banded" description is what stumped me about the original post, so I did not chime in earlier. Sure, there are no sea snakes in the Caribbean (barring some invasive species we may not be aware of), but I've only seen the eels mentioned previously, e.g., sharptail, goldspotted, etc., and none of those look very similar to the Pacific sea snakes with the bands. So I am still stumped.

The darker ground color between the large brightly colored spots on a Gold spotted Snake Eel can easily appear to be bands, especially when the eel is moving rapidly in its sinuous S curves. I've seen similar phenomena with terrestrial genuine snakes. Broken patterns can appear to be stripes, and bands can appear to blend into an intermediate color when the animal is moving quickly.

Most color and shape patterns on these kinds of creatures are designed for camouflage when the animal is holding still, not moving at all. Some patterns, interestingly enough, mimic other more dangerous animals. The harmless Scarlet Kingsnake looks almost exactly like the venomous Coral Snake. Both have red, black, and yellow bands, but the order is different. Thus:

"Red touch black venom lack, red touch yellow, kill a fellow."

Many harmless snakes will vibrate their tails rapidly in dry leaves, creating a sound like a rattlesnake.

Anything is possible, but dollars to donuts what these snorkelers viewed from above while keeping a careful distance was a snake eel.

 

[vincent54]

I agree with above.

Within my lifetime, we will see the Yellowbelly sea snake invade the caribbean. We saw quite a few diving the Pacific side of Panama, and only the short fresh water canal is keeping them out. They will eventually hitch a ride somehow, or someone will accidentally release one. They are the most widely distributed reptile in the world, and have even been recorded in San Clemente CA. Adaptable little buggers. Cheers