sea snake

noun

1
2
: any of numerous venomous aquatic chiefly viviparous elapid snakes of warm seas

Examples of sea snake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These include species of shovel-nosed snakes, which evolved to dig up prey, and species of sea snakes, which swim with a paddlelike tail and snack on prey such as reef fish. Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024 The team found that the annulated sea snake now has four intact copies of the opsin gene SWS1. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 July 2023 Credit: Ridgway et al., 2022 Dolphin Z catching sea snakes in the Pacific Ocean with head jerks and a victory squeal. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Jan. 2023 Sharks, sea snakes, and other wildlife will make preparations to escape becoming trapped or hurt as massive storms approach a coast. Popular Science, 28 Sep. 2022 Despite the potency of sea snake venom, fatal encounters between sea snakes and humans are rare. Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023 The Dubois' sea snake holds the title of the most venomous sea snake tested. Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023 The olive sea snake is another water-loving serpent. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 19 May 2022 Forrest Galante has a theory that deadly sea snakes are turning these apex predators into prey! Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 26 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sea snake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1755, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sea snake was in 1755

Dictionary Entries Near sea snake

Cite this Entry

“Sea snake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20snake. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Medical Definition

sea snake

noun
: any of a family (Hydrophidae) of numerous venomous snakes inhabiting the tropical parts of the Pacific and Indian oceans

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