General
Sea snake feared locally extinct rediscovered in ‘twilight zone’ on Ashmore Reef
A species of extremely rare, endemic sea snake not seen on Western Australia’s Ashmore Reef in 23 years has been rediscovered living in the “twilight zone”.
Key points:
- 17 species of sea snake disappeared from the shallow reef in the ’90s and 2000s
- This is the 3rd species to have been rediscovered living at depth
- Genetic tests are needed to determine if it’s a unique species
The critically endangered short-nosed sea snake (Aipysurus apraefrontalis) is known from a couple of sites on the north coast of Western Australia, and was once abundant in the shallows of Ashmore Reef before it seemingly disappeared in 1998.
But scientists on board a research vessel equipped with “advanced robotic technologies” found the snake in 67 metres of water…
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