The person who found the snake, Samantha Cooper, posted footage of it to Facebook on Sunday, saying she didn t even know Aotearoa had snakes. We tried to put it back in the ocean but it kept swimming back on to the sand. The tide is on its way out and I was worried about kids and dogs safety, she wrote. Also cars drive on Tokerau so it was most probably [going to] get squished. I gave the snake to DoC.
DoC says like this one, most sightings of the snakes are in the north-eastern parts of the country - though they have been seen as far south as the Cook Strait.
Highly venomous sea snake found alive on a Northland beach Mon, 3 May 2021, 1:36PM
The yellow-bellied sea snake that washed up on Tokerau Beach in Doubtless Bay, Northland, at the weekend. Photo: Facebook / Samantha Cooper
Highly venomous sea snake found alive on a Northland beach Mon, 3 May 2021, 1:36PM
A deadly sea snake found alive on a Northland beach is classed as a native, but it s toxin is highly dangerous for humans, and an expert says they should not be handled or approached.
A highly venomous yellow-bellied sea snake, was discovered on Tokerau Beach in Doubtless Bay over the weekend by a local resident Samantha Cooper.