Sea Snake BiteMedical Author:
Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editor:
N Stuart Harris, MD, MFA
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
James Kimo Takayesu, MD
Sea Snake Bite OverviewSea snakes are usually 3-4 feet long with flat tails, valvelike nostril flaps, and scales. They live in the tropical and warm regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Sea snakes are not found in the Atlantic Ocean, along the North American coast, or in the Caribbean Sea. Sea snakes are usually not aggressive unless provoked. Most bites do not cause significant poisonings. However, some types of sea snake venom can cause neurologic symptoms and clotting disorders (coagulopathy). |
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Scuba Diving: Sea Snake Bite
Scuba Diving: Cone Snail Sting »
Cone Snail Sting Overview
A cone snail has a cone-shaped shell, a fleshy foot, a head, and tentacles. Cone snails live in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the Caribbean and Red Seas, and along the coast of Florida. They are not aggressive. The sting usually occurs when divers in deep reef waters handle the snails. Swimmers and snorkelers are unlikely to find cone snails in shallow intertidal waters. Their empty shells are prized items on sandy beaches.
Cone snail shells range in size from less than an inch to 9 inches long. The snail unwinds itself in the shell and comes out the opening. Much like a harpoon, a sharp venomous stinger stabs the snail's prey. Cone snails hunt worms and other snails. A few varieties of cone snails eat fish, and these are the most harmful to humans.
Avoid contact with these animals. The animal's harpoon can penetrate gloves. The toxin is similar to the paralytic toxin of the pufferfish and blue-ringed octopus.
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Snake Envenomation, Sea »
Sea snakes, venomous elapid snakes that inhabit marine environments, are the most abundant and widely dispersed group of poisonous reptiles in the world.
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