'Pretty' tracks on popular 4WD beach lead to deadly discovery
Diane Oxenford spotted the tracks during a routine beach inspection this week. But had to admire them from afar after realising what it was.
Tracks are often etched into the sand at popular 4WD beaches as cars whiz past while enjoying the ocean view. But this week, an unfamiliar and "pretty" track led Diane Oxenford to a deadly discovery.
The wildlife rescuer is part of the Bribie Island Turtle Trackers (BITTs) team which helps to protect endangered turtles during nesting season, and is no stranger to seeing different tracks on the beach as the turtles move along the shore. However, on Monday she was working away and caught sight of something unfamiliar in the sand.
"We were going up the beach on the electric bikes looking for turtle nests and we saw the snake stranded on the sand," the wildlife rescuer told Yahoo News. In their search for endangered loggerhead turtles along Woorim beach, they found a "highly venomous" elegant sea snake instead.
"They're really, really deadly... they're so highly venomous we try not to interfere with them," she explained.
Venomous sea snakes often 'stranded' on Aussie beaches
Sea snakes have evolved to underwater life but adapted valved nostrils so they can stay in the water for up to 30 minutes. Their venom has also evolved to be much more potent than land snakes as the water itself dilutes the venom, so it needs to be stronger in order to be as effective in the environment.
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There are a number of reasons why sea snakes can find themselves beached and this particular one had a "full belly".
"Sometimes they come in on high tide and then get stranded if they don't swim fast enough to go back out with the tide... sometimes the snakes come up to bask in the sun but they get stuck in the soft sand," Diane explained.
"Sometimes they're sick. That's when we'll try to cox them back into the water to die in their natural environment."
Diane and her colleague contacted local snake catcher Josh Newling, known as 'That Snake Guy', who took the snake to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Rescuers were eager to get the snake off the beach as quickly as possible and were reluctant to put it back into the ocean until a full health check was done.
"We've had quite a few brown snakes or red-bellied black snakes on the sand.," Diane said."We've seen quite a few sea snakes come up and then get run over by 4WD, it's really sad."
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