So we already know that an El Niño might bring Southern California a rainy winter, and that rain, while very much needed because of our years-long drought, might also cause flooding and mudslides (as we've seen very recently). But, according to Heal the Bay (via LA Observed), there's apparently another danger that comes along with El Niño: super-venomous sea snakes. At least one Yellow-bellied Sea Snake, known to enjoy the warm waters that accompany the El Niño, has been spotted in Oxnard and experts want people to be on the lookout for more.
Although the yellow-bellied sea snake is "probably the most widely distributed snake in the world," finds LA Observed, it hasn't been spotted in California since the early 1980s—during an El Niño. HtB calls the creature "a harbinger of El Niño" because "it typically lives in warm tropical waters." (Warm water is associated with El Niños.) Descended from Asian cobras and something called the Australian tiger snake, the yellow-bellied sea snake has some of the most poisonous venom in the world and definitely should not be touched.
That said, here is a video of the snake that showed up on Silver Strand Beach in Oxnard, filmed by a guy doing exactly what you are not supposed to do to this snake when you find it:
Here is some video, they are dangerous and venomous, don't get close to them. Rescued this sea snake today on the beach...
Posted by Robert Forbes on Friday, October 16, 2015
Scientists are hoping that getting the word out about these dangerous snakes can help pinpoint where they appear; they're asking that SoCal residents who see these slithery things take photos (from a safe distance), try to get the exact location, and submit the sighting to tracking websites like iNaturalist and Herp Mapper.
· Venomous sea snakes arrive with El Niño [LAO]
· Climate Change and El Niño: A Double Whammy [HtB]
· Mapping How an El Niño Winter Could Create Massive Flooding in Pasadena [Curbed LA]