Join our zoo community

AQWA Sea Snakes at AQWA

Discussion in 'Australia' started by LaughingDove, 20 Jul 2015.

  1. LaughingDove

    LaughingDove Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    16 May 2014
    Posts:
    2,492
    Location:
    Oxford/Warsaw
    I have recently started working on a lifelist of reptile species that I have seen and I am wondering if anyone is able to help with a little question.

    I visited AQWA in 2009-ish and I definitely saw sea snake(s) there. This was at a time that I didn't have a camera so I have no pictures and I am wondering if anyone knows what species they hold or held at that time. I appreciate that this was a fair few years ago so I understand if no one is able to help but I thought it was worth a try. :)

    The website of AQWA says one can "Come face to fang with a sea snake in AQWA's DANGERzone"

    I will possibly be going to AQWA approximately this time next year so I will of course have a look then, if I do go, but since that is a while in the future I was hoping someone would be able to help sooner.

    Thanks.
     
  2. MikeG

    MikeG Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    3 Jun 2009
    Posts:
    737
    Location:
    Lancashire, UK
    I visited in 2010, and at that time only 1 specimen of sea snake was on exhibit at AQWA. It wasn't even labelled to species (labelling at AQWA was generally pretty bad).
    Eventually a staff member confirmed it was a Shark Bay Sea Snake (Aipysurus pooleorum).
     
  3. LaughingDove

    LaughingDove Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    16 May 2014
    Posts:
    2,492
    Location:
    Oxford/Warsaw
    That's very interesting, thanks.
    It's very likely that that's what I saw then, and if it wasn't labelled at species level, that would explain why I have no recollection of what the species was as that is the sort of thing I would remember.
     
  4. tetrapod

    tetrapod Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Apr 2008
    Posts:
    1,557
    Location:
    sw england
    AQWA housed a sea snake (no idea which spp) circa 2000. I assume they get periodic strandings that cannot be released.