Long-distance swimmers

New Zealanders might be surprised to know that we have a native snake – a sea snake that is!

Yellow-lipped sea kraits have the widest distribution of any sea krait, being found in the Indo-Pacific region from the eastern coast of India to the western Pacific islands as far as Tonga. On a rare occasion, a sea krait will accidentally make it to Aotearoa New Zealand!

Although they pop up from time to time, sea kraits are unable to establish in New Zealand as the temperatures are too low for them to survive the winter. They are used to tropical climates, but as sea temperatures rise it’s possible we will see more of them venture to Aotearoa in the future, especially the upper North Island. As they can make their way here on their own (even as accidental visitors) sea kraits are considered a vagrant native species and protected under New Zealand’s Wildlife Act.

Slithery scaly snake!

Land snakes have wide scales on their belly for slithering on land, whereas sea snakes often have smaller belly scales. Since sea kraits go on land and in the water, they have wider belly scales to help when they’re moving on dry terrain. The yellow-lipped sea krait has a steely blue colour with black banding across its body, which fades to yellow on its underside and facial mask. Females are generally larger than males, growing up to 1.7 metres in length and weighing up to 1 kilogram. Males rarely exceed 1 metre in length.

At the Zoo

As sea kraits spend a significant portion of their time on land, the habitat at the Zoo has land and water areas. With a special wavemaker to make turbulence and currents, the water mimics natural ocean movements for the krait. Sand, pebbles, shells and coral are placed in the water to provide hiding spots and opportunities to forage.

The sea snake at Auckland Zoo was gifted the name Weherua by iwi Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. This beautiful te Reo Māori name means ‘split’ or ‘divided’. This name encapsulates the snake’s stunning complexion (split between hues of black and white) and the snake’s bisecting journey from the Pacific islands to a new life in Aotearoa. Weherua is also the name of a tīpuna who wed into Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki, giving the name special significance.

Weherua loves to hide in the habitat, so try see if you can spot any stripes in between the rocks! Sea kraits are ectothermic (they rely on external sources like the sun to regulate their body temperature) so live in tropical climates and bask on land to keep warm. Heat lamps and high humidity levels of at least 70% keep the habitat feeling tropical.

At this stage, the sex of Weherua won’t be confirmed until he or she has stopped growing! As fully-grown females are twice the length of males. As Weherua grows, the Zoo’s habitat needs to grow too. We are currently designing a new habitat for Weherua – stay tuned for updates.

In the Wild

Origin: Indo-Pacific region

Considered native to India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Palau, Fiji, Vanuatu, Niue, Samoa, American Samoa, Cambodia, Micronesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Singapore.

Considered native vagrant to New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Australia.

Habitat: Coastal land, coral reefs, mangroves, and open ocean.

Conservation status: IUCN – Least Concern

How we’re helping

The sea krait at the Zoo was found in December 2022 on Takapuna Beach in Auckland, a little underweight and dehydrated. Thanks to the expert care of the kaimahi at Auckland Zoo, she is now healthy, growing, and shedding her skin frequently. However, the cold temperatures New Zealand reaches over winter would be unsurvivable for the krait in the wild, so she cannot be released back into our waters. Now she helps visitors to the Zoo learn about these incredible animals.

How you can help

As our climate warms up, impacting sea temperatures and currents, it is likely we’ll see more sea kraits accidentally visiting Aotearoa shores.

If you see a sea krait at the beach, make sure to give it plenty of space - even if you think it isn’t alive. Call DOC on their helpline 0800 DOC HOT so they can check in on it. Sea kraits are very docile and rarely bite unless they’re harassed, but their bite is venomous so it’s important not to handle them.