“These snakes refuse to drink salt water, even when dehydrated, they need fresh water to survive,” Lillywhite said.
To see this how sea snake survive without fresh water, researchers captured 500 yellow-bellied sea snakes on the Guanacaste coast off of Costa Rica and tested them in lab to found how they live without fresh water.
The yellow-bellied sea snake does not drink sea water because it is not able to filter out all the salt like sea turtles.In order to survive the sea snake is totally dependent on fresh water from rainfall.The researchers noticed that several specimens lost up to 18 percent weight when there is no fresh water for drink.
The researchers also found that snakes have glands that make it possible for snakes to remove salt from the foods they eat and also allow to drink saltwater.Snakes skin also help prevent salt from being absorbed.
Lillywhite said, "if global climate change causes drought conditions to worsen, sea snakes and other marine vertebrates that depend on rainfall for fresh water could be hurt.“
Lillywhite also said that understanding the water requirements and drinking behaviors of marine vertebrates could help with conservation efforts. In areas of intensifying drought, they will need to move or die out.”
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