A species of highly venomous sea snake that made rare appearances on two California beaches in recent months has also been washing up thousands of miles away in Australia.
Beachgoers reported seeing several of the yellow-bellied sea snakes, or Pelamis platura, which lead entirely aquatic lives usually in tropical waters, about 200 miles south of Sydney after a spell of stormy weather.
Ross Sadlier, a reptile researcher at the Australian Museum, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the snakes were most likely weakened by the rough seas.
The sightings in California, where the appearance of the snake is far more unusual, have also been linked to weather patterns.
“What we’re seeing happening is that the snakes are likely moving north because of the El Niño conditions,” said Greg Pauly, a herpetologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, adding, “They’re experiencing temperatures that are at the bottom end of what they can tolerate and they’re not foraging or finding food very effectively.”
The California snakes were found on Oct. 15 on Silver Strand Beach in Oxnard and on Dec. 12 on Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach. The only other recorded sighting in the state was on a San Clemente beach in 1972.
Although highly venomous, the snakes have tiny fangs and small jaws that pose little danger to humans, Dr. Pauly said. No human deaths by a yellow-bellied sea snake have been documented.
Dr. Pauly recommended that anyone encountering one be respectful, take a photo and notify the museum.
“First off, be absolutely thrilled that they got to see this incredibly beautiful snake that so few people in California get to see,” Dr. Pauly said. “It’s such an incredibly rare occurrence.”