Rare sea snake found off coast of Australia

Scientists have found an endangered variety of venomous sea snake that had not been seen for several decades off the Australia coastline.
The last known siting of the short-nosed sea snake around the Ashmore Reef on the north-west coast of Western Australia was in 1998.
The reef was previously home to many sea snake varieties, but their numbers have plummeted in recent decades.
The discovery was made by a team of researchers, led by Dr Karen Miller from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, onboard a ship equipped with advanced robotic technologies.
The snake was found at a depth of about 67 metres.
“The short-nosed sea snake was thought to be lost forever from Ashmore, so it is truly a remarkable find, the whole ship of researchers was squealing in excitement,’’ she said.
The find offers a chance for recovery and protection of the species, said Dr Nerida Wilson from the Western Australian Museum, who was also on board.
“This discovery shows we have so much more to learn about the ‘twilight zone’, and we are hopeful to find more of Ashmore’s lost sea snake species,’’ Wilson said.
The twilight zone refers to ocean depths between about 30 metres and 150 metres where some sunlight still penetrates.