El Niño could bring highly-venomous yellow-bellied sea snake to SoCal beaches

Warmer ocean temperatures could invite a decidedly unfriendly creature, with venom strong enough to kill a human, into Southern California waters as the heat continues to rise.

The changing water temperatures associated with El Niño — a natural climate phenomenon marked by warmer-than-average ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific — could push the highly venomous yellow-bellied sea snake into Southern California waters, according to scientists.

“Some of these kinds of interesting oddities that are never a part of California will become part of this temporarily tropical El Niño-heated California,” Douglas McCauley, director of the Benioff Ocean Initiative at UC Santa Barbara, told USA Today.

The yellow-bellied sea snake is a fully aquatic and highly venomous marine reptile. It has a striking two-tone body, with a dark brown or black back and bright yellow underbelly, along with a flattened, paddle-shaped tail that helps it glide through the water.

The snakes are typically found in warm tropical and subtropical open oceans, although unusual ocean currents and warming events can occasionally carry them into new waters — and even wash them ashore.

The species is among the world’s most widespread sea snakes and is considered extremely venomous.

Despite its relatively docile nature, the yellow-bellied sea snake packs a nasty bite. Its venom contains powerful neurotoxins and myotoxins, making it extremely toxic, according to the Australian Museum.

The snakes are typically found much farther south in the Pacific and Indian oceans, but warmer waters could potentially push them toward Southern California.

Southern California is also experiencing a major heat wave this week, with daytime temperatures reaching between 95 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit in coastal and metro areas.

A yellow-bellied sea snake discovered in Newport Beach in 2018 was only the fifth documented sighting in the area since 1972, according to Surfer.

Unlike three earlier sightings, which occurred during the strong 2015-16 El Niño, the 2018 encounter happened outside an El Niño period.

And sea snakes aren’t the only unusual animals turning up near Southern California’s coast.

Earlier this month, a Los Angeles County fisherman filmed a rare hammerhead shark near Malibu Pier.

According to iNaturalist, the species had not been reported that close to Southern California beaches since 2015.

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