Be careful the next time you’re taking a sunset stroll along a Southern California beach. A surfer recently discovered a yellow-bellied sea snake (Pelamis platurus to his friends) on Silverstrand Beach in Ventura County, according to officials at the Heal the Bay organization and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, the highly poisonous animal was found far, far north of its usual habitat. El Niño weather patterns could be to blame, experts say, since the snake belongs in warmer waters; it's typically found off the west coast of Mexico and in the Indian Ocean near Australia. This was the northernmost sighting along North America’s Pacific coast, the Los Angeles Times reported.
While the odds of this species washing ashore are low—they're entirely aquatic—experts said to be careful as others may be in the water. The snakes are dark brown on the top with a yellow streak on the side, and the venom from a bite can shut down the nervous system. (Don't worry: Most bites to humans occur because someone is handling the snake.)
“Seeing a yellow-bellied sea snake wash ashore indicates that the animal is most likely ill or injured,” Greg Pauly, herpetology curator at the NHMLAC, told the Times in a statement. The snake that was found at Silverstrand Beach has since died.