A highly venomous yellow-bellied sea snake was found washed up on the shore at Honoli‘i Beach in Hilo last week, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
While these sea snakes are rarely seen onshore in Hawaii, the DOA’s Plant Quarantine Branch strongly advises beach and ocean goers not to touch the venomous sea snakes, which are often mistaken for eels.
A sea snake is easily distinguished by the bright yellow markings on its underside.
The Hilo Plant Quarantine Branch office received a call Feb. 4 from the Department of Land and Natural Resources that a Hilo resident had reported that a live snake had been found pinned under a log at Honoli’i Beach.
Plant Quarantine Branch inspectors responded to the beach and collected the 3-foot-long snake, which had been contained by lifeguards in a 5-gallon bucket.
“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 state Board of Agriculture, said in a statement. “This type of sea snake can be more venomous than a cobra and potentially lethal to humans.”
Sightings of yellow-bellied sea snakes on land are rare in Hawaii and usually occur when strong winds or currents cause them to wash up along the shoreline. Although yellow-bellied sea snakes inhabit the Pacific Ocean, it is prohibited to import or possess that species in Hawaii.
If a sea snake is spotted onshore, do not touch it and contact the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).
