‘More venomous than a cobra’: Lethal sea snake found washed up on beach

HILO, Hawaii (KHNL/Gray News) - Officials in Hawaii are urging the public to be careful after a highly venomous snake was found on a Hilo beach last week.

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Branch was notified by the state land department that a live yellow-bellied sea snake had been found pinned under a log at Honolii Beach.

Lifeguards put the 3-foot-long snake in a bucket and handed it over to inspectors. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Officials said seeing a yellow-bellied sea snake on land in Hawaii is rare.

Sightings tend to occur when strong winds or currents cause them to wash up along the shoreline.

The state advises beach and ocean goers not to touch the snakes, which are often mistaken for eels. They can be distinguished by bright yellow markings on their undersides.

“This type of sea snake can be more venomous than a cobra and potentially lethal to humans,” Board of Agriculture chair Sharon Hurd said.

Hurd said the public should “be wary of any snake-like reptile in or near the ocean.”

Although yellow-bellied sea snakes inhabit the Pacific Ocean, it is illegal to import or possess that species in Hawaii.

If a sea snake is spotted onshore, call the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).

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