Aipysurus fuscus

Farhaan Siddiqui

Dusky brown with dim yellow on its sides, Along the seafloor it glides.

It pokes its head in the crevice of coral To find no goby; something is abnormal.

The water around has been warmed, And thus the reef has transformed.

From color and life; full of food, To white and barren; destitute.

Coral bleaching in the Scott Reef. We have much to do about this grief.

Their population is changing at a negative rate. Fourteen seen per hour in 1998, To one just a year after 2004. This was the fate of the Reef of Ashmore.

The population is unknown, But few are left; this has been shown.

Though Aipysurus fuscus takes the heat, Extinction can be beat.

While specific efforts for the snakes’ conservation Have ended in dull stagnation, Some believe in translocation— Moving snakes to areas of low concentration. But this is just an evasion And would result in exacerbation.

A plan for the snakes to captively breed

Does call for some need,

But

Will Be Done In Vain

If we do not maintain

The snakes’ domain.

Author’s Note: This poem was written for a project in Marine Science about endangered marine species. I chose to research the dusky sea snake (Aipysurus fuscus). These sea snakes have only been found in five coral reefs near Australia, including the Ashmore Reef and the Scott Reef. Their exact population count is unknown but it is rapidly declining based on a survey count at the Ashmore Reef. 14 snakes were caught (then released) per hour in 1998, but only one snake was caught per hour in 2005. This population decline is mainly due to habitat loss from coral bleaching and rising temperatures. There are no specific efforts to help these snakes, but some ideas include relocating them and captive breeding. However, in my opinion, the best way to help these snakes is to focus on protecting the coral reefs they live in.

Sunflower

Maddy Noel

My favorite flower, Is yellow with power. Brown in the center, A valley I enter.

Filled with flowers of sunset, Cures all my upset.

People are right, This is better than the night. My favorite flower.