El Niño Conditions Drive Unusual Marine Life Sightings and Sea Snake Strandings in Southern California
Southern California is experiencing an influx of warm-water marine species, including venomous yellow-bellied sea snakes, hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and mahi-mahi, attributed to the current strong El Niño event. Five of the six recorded yellow-bellied sea snake sightings in California have occurred during El Niño years, with the first in 1972-73 and three more during the 2015-16 event. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County describes the current El Niño as potentially the strongest in over a century, leading to significantly warmer ocean temperatures off the California coast. These warmer waters and shifting currents are carrying open-water species far north of their typical habitats. As autumn and winter approach, cooler temperatures cause these snakes to become sluggish and stop eating, making them vulnerable to being pushed ashore by lunar tides or strong onshore winds. Experts anticipate more strandings between October and January. An endangered olive ridley sea turtle also nested near ...
