Venomous and ‘rarely seen’ creature found on Hawaii beach — then caught in a bucket
A “highly venomous” sea snake that’s “potentially lethal to humans” was found on a popular surf beach in Hawaii in a rare sighting, officials said.
The yellow-bellied sea snake was found alive under a log on Honoli’i Beach on the island of Hawaii, according to a Feb. 14 news release from the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture.
Lifeguards contained the 3-foot snake in a bucket, and it was collected by inspectors from the agriculture department’s Plant Quarantine Branch, officials said.
The snake was euthanized and is being preserved for educational purposes, an agriculture department spokesperson told McClatchy News in a Feb. 18 email.
Yellow-bellied sea snakes “are rarely seen onshore in Hawaiʻi,” officials said, urging people to take caution – and keep their distance – if they ever spot one.
“We want to take this opportunity to inform the public to be wary of any snake-like reptile in or near the ocean,” Sharon Hurd, chairperson of the Hawaiʻi Board of Agriculture, said in the release. “This type of sea snake can be more venomous than a cobra and potentially lethal to humans.”
Sea snakes are sometimes mistaken for eels, but they’re identifiable by the bright yellow on their bellies, officials said.
They’re typically only seen on land in Hawaii when they’re washed ashore by the wind or current, officials said.
It’s illegal to have or import them in Hawaii, officials said.
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