Niue: Deadliest Snake in the World

This seasnake lives only around the island of Niue and nowhere else on earth – katuali or flat-tail sea snake (Laticauda schistorhynchus). Its venom’s toxicity is roughly 10x that of a cobra, making it the most venomous snake in the world. It’s a sea snake, related to the sea krait, it grows to around 1m/3ft long, and lives in coastal waters and limestone caves. It’s black and white stripes pattern makes it look like a scarf. They do not attack humans, and people are told it’s ok to swim with them. Nevertheless….. When this snake appeared within just a couple feet of my arm, I felt like my heart skipped a whole bunch of beats (but kept filming). It slowly swam around, inquisitively looking around and being totally relaxed (unlike me).
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