An immense snake-like creature found mostly in temperate areas of the open ocean, but can also be found in salt water bays, and large fresh water lakes. They are also found in colder waters but this is rare. The sea serpent is a solitary creature and is not easily seen, those that do see one do not often live to tell about it.

Most sea serpents have a spiked fin growing out from their spine, this fin or sail may help them to maintain a constant internal body temperature. Their bodies are dark greenish black on top and the underbelly is a bit lighter. The head alone may be over 30 feet long and the length of the entire body is still unknown.

The eyes and nostrils are located near the top of the head giving it the ability to breathe and see activities on the surface while the rest of its body remains hidden underwater.

They typically feed on large whales which they hunt by swimming just below the surface until they are a short distance from their prey and then attack by rising up out of the water and striking. They will deliver several strikes until they are able to clamp down onto the body of the whale and drag it below the surface. Once underwater the whale either drowns or bleeds to death and then is swallowed whole.

Sea serpents jaw bones are only loosely connected to their skulls, this enables them to unhinge their jaws and swallow prey much larger than their mouths. They swallow the whales head first and they go down quite smoothly.

Occasionally a sea serpent will attack a ship. It approaches in the same manner described above and then rises up out of the water and throws its body across the deck of the ship, sinking it. Once the ship is below the surface the serpent will unhinge its jaws and swallow it whole, passengers and all.

The reasons behind this behavior are unknown. Sea serpents may attack ships due to a change in the surrounding electrical field caused by metal interacting with sea water. The electric currents produced by metallic ships in water can mimic the electric fields that are produced by live animals, causing the serpent to mistake the metallic ship for prey.

However, the above does not explain the many attacks on ships completely made of wood. These attacks may have been due to the humans fishing from the ship or to reasons completely unknown to us.

Staying aboard ship during a serpent attack is certain death. The only hope for survival is to abandon ship and swim as far away as possible, as the serpent will not waste the effort pursuing a single human. Do not abandon ship unless you have confirmed the attack with your captain.

There is only one account of this creature being fought and killed successfully. During the Second World War a sea serpent allegedly attacked a warship and was destroyed using a combination of depth charges and anti aircraft guns.

Notes: All sea serpents are sea monsters but not all sea monsters are sea serpents.

See Also: Creatures by Type: Sea Monsters, Serpents