While the extremely venomous Pelamis platura, as known as the yellow-bellied sea snake, is rarely spotted in California's cold waters, a dead one washed ashore this week on a popular state beach along the state's southern coast, according to National Geographic. The corpse was found at Bolsa Chica State Beach during a cleanup conducted by the Surfrider Foundation, an environmental group from the local area. Prior to the recent finding, the yellow-bellied sea snake has only been seen in California once this past October and back in the 1970s.
The species, which possesses a bright yellow belly and a tail that resembles a paddle, can remain underwater for up to three hours between breathes and possesses the potential to reach up to 35 inches in length during its growth period. Although they typically thrive in warm water in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the rare sighting in California's cold waters is prompting many to point to El Niño as the cause.
As sea-surface temperatures rise, experts believe that changes in ocean currents may be causing the yellow-bellied sea snake to head further north, outside the range of their normal living areas, according to Live Science. However, due to ocean cooling on western U.S. coasts during the winter months, the species may get sick due to a lack of food.
"The Yellow-bellied Sea Snake has some of the most poisonous venom in the world, and is a descendant from Asian cobras and Australian tiger snakes," said Dana Murray of Heal the Bay, an environmental advocacy group.
The snake, which is extremely venomous and poses dangers to anyone who touches them, is currently being brought to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, according to KTLA5. Despite this toxicity, they rarely bite humans, and if they do, they usually only release a small amount of venom that is meant for stunning a fish.
"There's absolutely no reason to panic," said Harvey Lillywhite, a sea snake expert at the University of Florida. "When these animals are in their natural habitat they don't tend to be aggressive, they'll just swim away. If you pick them up they will tend to bite, but looking at them is probably fine."
