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adjacent to large villages; the reptiles and humans
living in complete harmony. The small coral island
of Amédée, in the vast New Caledonian lagoon
that also takes in the capital Noumea, has long
been favoured as a holiday retreat by Japanese
honeymooners. It is also home to large numbers
of sea kraits that are closely related to the Yellow-
lipped Sea Krait, but which were described in
2006 as a distinct New Caledonian species,
Laticauda saintgironsi, that aggregates in rocky
crevices and in the low vegetation which covers
most of the island. Few honeymooners realise
that they are sharing their picnic and bathing
spots with hundreds of sea kraits!
Probably the most beautiful of the sea kraits is the
Dark-lipped Sea Krait (Laticauda laticaudata).
Generally a much more slender species than the
Yellow-lipped Sea Krait, and strongly banded like
most other members of the genus, it is often the
most striking bright blue in colour. Its habits are
similar to other species in the group, and it is also
an eel-eater. The Dark-lipped Sea Krait tends to
be found in smaller numbers than the yellow-
lipped species, and in smaller on-shore
aggregations, but is nonetheless common. The
largest of the sea kraits is the Black-banded Sea
Krait, (Laticauda - or Pseudolaticauda; see earlier
note - semifasciata), which ranges from Myanmar
to Indonesia. It is the most heavy-bodied of the
sea kraits and can grow to a length of about 1.5
metres.