Scientists in Australia are investigating a concerning mystery after more than a dozen dead and stranded sea snakes washed up on a remote shoreline in recent months.
Unusual Strandings Puzzle Marine Experts
The series of strandings has occurred at Nanga Bay in Western Australia since October 2025. All sea snakes found are highly venomous, prompting urgent warnings from researchers for the public not to handle the animals. Northern Australian waters are home to over 20 protected species of sea snake, with two classified as critically endangered.
Blanche d'Anastasi, a sea snake researcher, has been actively collecting reports via a dedicated Facebook group, which has gathered numerous posts documenting the strandings. "If you come across any sea snake strandings in Shark Bay/Gathaagudu, either in real life, or on other groups, could you please encourage people to report strandings here," she urged online.
Public Urged to Report, Not Touch
Experts have stressed the dual dangers of approaching the snakes: their potent venom and their fragile physiology. "Sea snakes are aquatic and have very fragile tissue, bones and joints, fit for life underwater," explained Ms d'Anastasi. She emphasised that they have long, fixed front fangs and are capable of envenoming people.
The Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) noted that sea snake numbers are declining nationally, with bycatch from fishing being a known threat. However, the specific cause of this recent spate of strandings remains unclear.
Climate and Weather Events a Suspected Factor
Researchers are exploring potential links to environmental conditions. Ms d'Anastasi told ABC News that sea snakes struggle during major weather events, often getting entangled in dislodged seagrass after cyclones. She also pointed to a precedent: a deadly heatwave in Shark Bay in 2010 was followed by a drastic 76 per cent decline in the local sea snake population.
"Sea snakes are something that used to be really quite abundant, and then following that heatwave they've really declined savagely," the researcher stated. She added that healthy sea snakes have no reason to come ashore, so a stranding typically indicates an underlying illness or injury.
The public is advised to stay at a safe distance, not touch the snakes, and definitely not push them back into the water, as beached individuals often wash up again. Instead, people should report sightings with time, date, location, and behavioural details to the Australian Sea Snakes Facebook page to aid scientific research into this worrying phenomenon.
