An Elipadae is a family of venomous snakes. The word Elipad comes from the Greek word that means sea-fish. They have fangs that can shoot out venom; they can get from 18 cm to 6 m in length. The fangs are very large and hollow and are their first two teeth. The venom comes from the glands located from the back of their jaw. Also they're slender with smooth scales, and eyes with round pupils. Elipads also use their venom to immobilize their prey.

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This family of snakes is usually found in tropical and subtropical areas including areas around the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. They can be found worldwide but not in Europe. One of the species, Pelamis Platura, can extend across the Pacific and into the coasts of Central and South America. The sea krait is one species that has adapted to aquatic life, they have wide ventral scales and a tail that is well-developed for swimming, and they also have nostrils that are separated by inter-nasal scales.

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Elapids can eat a variety of prey. The Southern American snake the;Rinkhal cobra's favorite food is toads. Sea snakes find their food in coral reefs where they eat eel, squids, and fishes. Most of the species of this family hunt for their food by slithering or swimming up to their prey and biting them with their venom with slows down the heartbeat making the animal easier to eat. The Australian death adder lets the prey come to it, it sits still wriggling only the tip of its tail, and the tail looks like an insect bug then when the prey tries to eat it, the snake strikes.

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Author: Vanessa F.

Published: 12/2009

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Photo Credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indiancobra.jpg