Warm Waters Could Bring Sea Snakes To California's Beaches

NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- Sea snakes could soon appear along California beaches as ocean waters become warmer. The Los Angeles Times reported that a "rare venomous sea snake" was found this week in Newport Beach, it's the fifth one spotted in the region since 1972.

"Sporting short sharp fangs capable of delivering extremely potent venom, the snake — named for its bright yellow underside and flattened yellow tail with black spots — is no joke," the Los Angeles Times reported.

Greg Pauly, herpetological curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, told the Los Angeles Times the snake came to the shoreline because she was sick.

"Biologists suspect the wandering sea snakes were pursuing food sources including small fish and eels in warmer water that extends farther north than it has in the past," the newspaper reported.

LiveScience.comsaid sea snakes or Pelamis platura are "usually found in the tropical parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, including the western coast of Central America, Hawaii, Japan, and the eastern coast of Africa, these snakes have striking yellow bellies that serve as warning signals to other animals that they are venomous, meaning they inject a toxic substance when they bite a person or other animal. No human deaths have ever been reported as a result of P. platura."

The science-focused website reported that another sea snake was spotted in Coronado in 2016, a popular tourist destination in San Diego County.

The sea snake is currently on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

--Photo via Pixabay/MSaldais