SEA SNAKES FOUND IN FAR NORTH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 4, 12 March 1947, Page 2

SEA SNAKES FOUND IN FAR NORTH

Eel-like reptiles which stood on their tails and weaved their bodies alarmed a party of Maoris who disturbed them when walking through a field near the Whangaruru South beach.

They have now been identified as yellow-bellied sea snakes, commonly found on tropical reefs. The technical name is hydrus platurus.

Although exceedingly venomous, they will not attack humans unless alarmed. The Maoris kept the snakes in view and the head of one of the reptiles was blown off with a shot gun. The other vanished into the grass.

The Maoris carried the headless snake to the postmaster at Whangaruru South, who placed it in a refrigerator before sending it to the custodian of the Whangarei Museum, Mrs W. Reynolds, for identification.

The captured snake is 3ft. long, has a black back with a yellow belly, and whitish-yellow markings along the tail. Mrs Reynolds says that occasionally live ones had been washed up on the west coast beaches of New Zealand, but they did not survice long out of water. They are easily mistaken for eels, as they are dark on top and have a flattened tail.

The Maoris are still beating the grass for the second snake and intend to take it alive if possible. They think it may have escaped into the sea which is only about 12 yards away.

It is thought that the snakes may have escaped or been accidentally brought to Whangaruru by the Public Works Department’s ketch from the islands, which sheltered in the harbour about a month ago.