By Max and Gregor

Live Sea Snake Found on Northland Beach

Questions:

1. How are these marine snakes native to New Zealand?
2. How big do sea snakes get?
3. What could some appropriate actions for the disposal of these amphibious reptiles?
4. Why is the Ministry for Primary Industries involved with sea snakes?
5. They used to be killed on site, how has their relationship with humans changed?
6. It usually preys on fish, what else does it eat?
7. What kind of paralysis can be obtained from severe bites?
8. How recently have the other snakes been found?
9. What is the New Zealand Poisons Centre and what do they do?
10. What type of venom do they have?

This is what DOC’s law is but yet they advise people to kill them or bury them alive: It is therefore illegal to kill or harass a sea snake, or possess one or any part of one without a permit.

By Max and Gregor

Answers:

1. Their territory extends around the Pacific and they travel with ocean currents so New Zealand is part of their natural habitat
2. The biggest snake ever found was 1.13 meters (unsexed.) However they are normally between 0.6 metre to 1 metre.
3. Unable to find information.
4. The Ministry For Primary Industries is involved with the sea snakes due to their role in national biosecurity and their involvement in the New Zealand Fisheries.
5. Yellow Bellied Sea Snakes have never had great relationship with humans because of their deadly poison previously killed on sight. People are now advised to bury them so that they do not pose threat to anyone on the North Island’s beaches. However there is a law that you may not possess any part of a sea snake or harass it without a permit. If we keep on doing this without a formal or conservation styled procedure for the disposal or release of these animals then they might disappear altogether.
6. The Yellow Belly sea snake only eats fish it will get the fish by lying still in the water and fish will swim up to it thinking it’s a stick the snake will then ambush the fish.
7. The symptoms for venom injection by a sea snake are painful muscles, paralysis from hips down (legs), joint aches, blurry vision, Thick tongue or difficulty swallowing or speaking, excessive saliva production, vomiting and droopy eyelids. If the bite does paralyse it is most likely to be from the hips down.
8. There have been 35 confirmed sightings of Sea Snakes in New Zealand since 1930. That is a lot since there are not supposed to be snakes in New Zealand.,  
9. The New Zealand Poisons Centre is a 24h help providing centre that provides handy information if someone has been poisoned or if you are unsure of symptoms or what has just bitten you. They also collect samples of poisons to see what is dangerous and work out the best plan for avoiding it as well as providing information and programmes for schools.
10. The yellow bellied sea snakes venom contains LD50 poison. LD50 is an abbreviation for Lethal Dose 50%