Katuali

The katuali or flat-tail sea snake (Laticauda schistorhyncha) is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae. The species is found only in the waters of the Pacific Islands nation of Niue.

Katuali
Laticauda schystorhyncha in Niue
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Laticauda
Species:	L. schistorhyncha
Binomial name
Laticauda schistorhyncha (Günther, 1874)
Synonyms
Platurus schistorhynchus Günther, 1874 Laticauda semifasciata schistorhynchus — Guinea, 1994 Laticauda schistorhyncha — Welch, 1994 Pseudolaticauda schistorhynchus — Kharin, 2005 Laticauda schistorhyncha — Heatwole et al., 2017

Description

L. schistorhyncha grows to a total length (including tail) of up to 1 m (3.3 ft), and is highly venomous, making it one of the most potentially dangerous creatures on the planet. It has a fin-like tail, helping it to swim better.

Habitat

The katuali lives most of its adult life in the sea.

Reproduction

During mating, the male katuali wraps itself around the female until she is fertilized. Because the eggs would not survive in water, the female swims into a sea cave to lay the eggs in dry crevices. These eggs take six months to hatch, and then the infant snakes make their way to the ocean.

Further reading

• Günther A (1874). "A Contribution to the Fauna of Savage Island". Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1874: 295-297 + Plate XLV. (Platurus schistorhynchus, new species, p. 297 + Plate XLV, figure B).
• Heatwole, Harold; Grech, Alana; Marsh, Helene (2017). "Paleoclimatology, Paleogeography, and the Evolution and Distribution of Sea Kraits (Serpentes; Elapidae; Laticauda)". Herpetological Monographs 31 (1): 1–17.