Why are there a series of snake sightings in countries where there should be no snakes?
In New Zealand, known as 'a country that is completely free of snakes,' there is somehow a series of snake sightings. The Guardian, an overseas newspaper, explains this mystery with sightings.
Case of the mystery sea snakes: why are reptiles washing up on New Zealand's shores? | New Zealand | The Guardian
Third venomous sea snake turns up, this time on Manawatū coast --NZ Herald
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/third-venomous-sea-snake-turns-up-this-time-on-manawatu-coast/UMDLDKYRMFMDLSXSCWPOHJPSXE/
New Zealand, an island nation located 2000 km southwest of the Pacific Ocean and 2000 km from the continent of Australia, is home to no snakes. However, there have been a series of witnesses of poisonous snakes, the yellow-bellied sea snakes , living and drifting on the beaches of New Zealand these days.
In May 2021, when an 11-year-old boy went to the beach in Northland with his family, he discovered a snake that had been launched. The boy brought the snake home and asked at a local store, 'What is this creature?' A clerk searched and found that the snake was a highly poisonous yellow-bellied sea snake. Fortunately no one was bitten, and the snake died on the way home by the boy.
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Sea snakes, including the yellow-bellied sea snake, are transported to New Zealand's waters primarily by warm currents from Australia and the Pacific Islands. However, New Zealand's waters are too cold for coral reef snakes to breed, making it extremely rare to reach the mainland alive. Sea snakes generally only land if they are ill or swept away by storms or large waves. Witnesses have been cut off since April 2018, but three witnesses have been reported since the beginning of 2021.
Clinton Duffy of the Nature Conservation Department said, 'New Zealanders aren't used to seeing snakes, so they don't think they're toxic or mistaken for the eels they see locally and know what to do. I don't. ' The poison of the yellow-bellied sea snake is deadly enough to kill people, but its antitoxin is expensive and has a short shelf life, so it cannot be used in New Zealand.
Australian marine scientist Vinay Udyawer said, 'It's just a hypothesis, but it's possible that more sea snakes are washed ashore as global warming raises seawater temperatures and increases storms. Species that couldn't maintain their populations in places like New Zealand could begin to settle as seawater temperatures rise. '
'The yellow-bellied sea snake has a timid personality and rarely bites people. If you find it, you should not intentionally hurt it and contact the Nature Conservation Agency.' 'I have been studying sea snakes for a long time, Every time I see a sea snake, I'm very excited. It's difficult to see wild sea snakes in New Zealand, so people should be aware of how special it is to witness wild sea snakes. '
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in Creature, Posted by log1p_kr