Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Deadly 'native' sea snake washes up on Northland beach

Mike Dinsdale
By Mike Dinsdale
Editor. Northland Age·Northern Advocate·
3 May, 2021 12:50 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The yellow-bellied sea snake that washed up on Tokerau Beach in Doubtless Bay, Northland, at the weekend. Photo: Facebook / Samantha Cooper

The yellow-bellied sea snake that washed up on Tokerau Beach in Doubtless Bay, Northland, at the weekend. Photo: Facebook / Samantha Cooper

A deadly sea snake found alive on a Northland beach is classed as a native, but its toxin is highly dangerous for humans, and an expert says they should not be handled or approached.

A highly venomous yellow-bellied sea snake was discovered on Tokerau Beach in Doubtless Bay over the weekend by local resident Samantha Cooper.

Her find was posted to the Kaitaia Noticeboard on Facebook, where it garnered plenty of responses.

The yellow-bellied sea snake that washed up on Tokerau Beach in Doubtless Bay, Northland, at the weekend. Photo: Facebook / Samantha Cooper
The yellow-bellied sea snake that washed up on Tokerau Beach in Doubtless Bay, Northland, at the weekend. Photo: Facebook / Samantha Cooper

"To all the Karen's. yes we tried to put it back in the ocean but it kept swimming back on to the sand, the tide is on its way out and I was worried about kids and dogs safety. Also cars drive on Tokerau so it was most probably get squished. I gave the snake to doc. I didnt know Aotearoa had snakes [sic]" Cooper posted.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Sightings of the snakes are fairly rare in New Zealand, though they are believed to breed in tropical waters in the Northern Tasman Sea. They are only found here between six and 10 times a year.

The last one found in Northland was on Baylys Beach in April 2018.

As the sea snake is deemed a native - because it made its own way here - it comes under the responsibility of the Department of Conservation.

DoC expert Clinton Duffy said yellow-bellied sea snakes, while beautiful, are very deadly. They are the only sea snakes that spend their entire life at sea - including birthing live young, rather than eggs - so to see one on-shore meant it was in trouble.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"They hunt fish and so have a powerful neurotoxin so it doesn't matter if the fish escapes the initial attack, it will die pretty soon. But its fangs are small and right in the back of its mouth so it has to get a really good bite." Duffy said.

"They are considered to be natives because they made it here under their own steam."

So what should people do if they came across one of these venomous sea snakes?

"Don't pick them up and give them a wide berth. It takes a lot to provoke a yellow-bellied to bite, but if it does it could well be deadly so it's best to stay away and call 0800 DOCHOT as they are the responsibility of the Department of Conservation."

Discover more

New Zealand

Rare sea snake spotted in Tauranga waters

15 Jun 04:08 AM

Duffy said there was probably not a lot DoC could do, other than cordoning off the area where the snake was.

"DoC staff aren't allowed to pick them up either, as you have to be a qualified snake handler."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'The man I once trusted violently raped me': Man jailed for attacking ex-wife next to sleeping child

07 Jul 08:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Do it now, run him over'. Teen who ran over mother's partner twice can finally be named

07 Jul 07:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Hunter who feeds the hungry named Volunteer of the Year

07 Jul 06:56 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'The man I once trusted violently raped me': Man jailed for attacking ex-wife next to sleeping child

'The man I once trusted violently raped me': Man jailed for attacking ex-wife next to sleeping child

07 Jul 08:00 AM

The man apologised to his victim, but pleaded not guilty.

'Do it now, run him over'. Teen who ran over mother's partner twice can finally be named

'Do it now, run him over'. Teen who ran over mother's partner twice can finally be named

07 Jul 07:00 AM
Hunter who feeds the hungry named Volunteer of the Year

Hunter who feeds the hungry named Volunteer of the Year

07 Jul 06:56 AM
Downhill mountain bikers impress on world stage

Downhill mountain bikers impress on world stage

07 Jul 06:38 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP