Deadly Sea Snakes: Alike But Not The Same December 3, 2012 The
lethal beaked sea snake is actually two species which separately
evolved to give identical snakes. AsianScientist (Dec. 3, 2012)
– Researchers from Australia and Indonesia have discovered that
the lethal beaked sea snake (Enhydrina schistosa) is actually
two species with separate evolutions, which resulted in
identical snakes. Senior author Associate Professor Bryan Fry
from The University of Queensland said the Australian and Asian
beaked sea snakes were originally thought to be from the same
species, however, in comparing their DNA, the research team had
found these two snakes were unrelated. Analyses of five
independent mitochondrial and nuclear loci for populations
spanning Australia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka indicate that this
‘species’ actually consists of two distinct lineages in Asia and
Australia that are not closest relatives. The finding, published
recently in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, is
an example of a situation