TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Sea Snake Envenomation A1 - Zafren, Ken A1 - Thurman, R. Jason A1 - Jones, Ian D. A2 - Knoop, Kevin J. A2 - Stack, Lawrence B. A2 - Storrow, Alan B. A2 - Thurman, R. Jason Y1 - 2021 N1 - T2 - The Atlas of Emergency Medicine, 5e AB - Sea snakes are members of the elapid family of snakes that have evolved to survive in a variety of ocean habitats. There are over 70 species of sea snakes with the majority found in the tropical portions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Sea snakes are not found in the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean Sea. Most species of sea snakes live close to the coast, although there is a pelagic species, Pelamis platurus, that is found across a large swath of the Pacific Ocean. Reports vary regarding the docile nature of sea snakes. Some species have a much higher propensity to bite than others. Bites occur when the animal is disturbed or handled. There are many reports of bites occurring as fishermen are removing snakes from their nets. Because of the small size of the organism’s fangs, bites may be inconspicuous and are often painless. The majority of bites do not result in envenomation. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/19 UR - accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1181051135 ER -