Moonlight Beach

Have poisonous Yellow-bellied Seasnakes ever been found on our beaches?

Seasnakes are rarely seen in California. The first confirmed sighting was in 1972. They tend to be found north of their typical range in California waters mostly during El Niño years when ocean water temperatures rise several degrees above their average which allows marine animals normally found farther south to survive in California waters. However, an increasing number of sightings of seasnakes in California may be caused by the general rise in ocean temperatures and may indicate that the species is expanding its range northward. Ernst (1992) says about P. platurus: "On occasion they may be blown or drift to the extremes of their range in the eastern Pacific, and this is most likely how they rarely reach southern California."

Most snakes found on the beach are weak and sick and pose little threat to humans. According to a 1/11/18 Orange County Register article, Greg Pauly of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles "... said there have been no reported human fatalities as a result of the seasnake’s venom." Even so, it is still unwise to get close to them or try to handle them.

(Climate and El Niño information shown below is from the National Weather Service.)

I have found records of five Yellow-bellied Seasnakes that can be confirmed as found in California either by museum records or reputable sources:

1. San Clemente, Orange County, November 23, 1972 (LACM museum record).
1972-1973 was a strong El Niño winter.
This snake was documented in 1983, a year which has been mistakenly associated with the year the snake was found.

2. A live seasnake was found on a beach in Oxnard, Ventura County, October 15, 2015. After it died it was collected and will be deposited in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
2015-2016 was a strong El Niño winter.
Ventura County Star 10/15
KTLA 10/16/15

3. A dead 27-inch long seasnake was found on December 12th at a Surfrider Foundation coastal cleanup event at Bolsa Chica State Beach. The snake was collected and will be deposited in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
2015-2016 was a strong El Niño winter.
KTLA 12/19/15
LA Times 12/19/15
Los Alamitos-Seal Beach Patch 12/20/15

4. A live seasnake was found at about 2:30 p.m. on Dog Beach in Coronado, San Diego County, on January 12th, 2016, making it the third one found during the 2015-2016 El Niño winter. The snake died shortly after capture. It has been described as being 20 inches in length. It will be put in the collection of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
LA Times 1/13/16
NBC San Diego 1/12/16
NY Daily News 1/14/16

5. A live but weak and sick 25 inch long female seasnake was found by a person walking along the surf near the 18th Street lifeguard tower in Newport Beach, Orange County, on Monday, January 8th, 2018. This sighting is unusual in that it did not occur during an El Niño winter. The snake will go on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
LA Times 1/11/18
Orange County Register 1/11/18
CBS Los Angeles 1/11/18
https://californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/h.platurus.html

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https://cstu.io/4f3186
Geologic maps are pretty much what they say on the tin: maps detailing an area’s geological features, such as different types of rocks and sediments, their age, and how they’re distributed. They’re used in all sorts of ways, not just by geologists wanting to double-check how old a rock formation is, but also in understanding more about possible geological resources – like minerals – and natural hazards such as earthquakes.

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