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On September 11, Jackie Aguilar encountered a yellow-bellied sea snake while walking along Crystal Cove State Beach in Orange County, California. This highly venomous species hasn’t been seen in the area since the last El Niño period of 2018-2019. Experts warn that warmer water temperatures associated with El Niño could bring these snakes northward from their usual tropical habitat. Marine naturalist Capt. Chad Steffen noted that although the snake is venomous, it poses little threat as it is clumsy and non-aggressive out of water.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 11, Jackie Aguilar and her family encountered a highly venomous yellow-bellied sea snake while walking along Crystal Cove State Beach in Orange County, California. This is the first sighting of the species in the region in nearly a decade. Initially mistaking it for a harmless creature, Aguilar used a palm frond to pick up the reptile before discovering its deadly nature through research. Experts have warned that warmer water temperatures associated with El Niño could bring such predators closer to shore. Certified marine naturalist Capt. Chad Steffen confirmed the snake's identity and noted it carries enough venom to be lethal to humans, highlighting the potential danger of such encounters in coastal areas due to climate-related changes.
Written for “Sea Snake Discovery California” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 17604 · logged 2026-09-18
An Orange County beachgoer had a rare encounter with a highly venomous sea snake after experts warned that the potentially deadly predator could come ashore with warming water temperatures associated with El Niño.
uncertain
predator → have → Niño
Jackie Aguilar and her family were walking along Crystal Cove State Beach the night of September 11 when she said she came across the yellow-bellied sea snake, which hasn’t been spotted in the region in nearly a decade.
asserted
which → walk → decade
At first Aguilar thought it was harmless, with video showing her using a palm frond to pick up the reptile.
asserted
her → think → reptile
She ended up researching the snake and discovering how dangerous her encounter could have been.
uncertain
encounter → end → snake
A venomous sea snake on the beach!” Aguilar told CBS LA.
asserted
Aguilar → tell → LA
“They’re all telling me like it’s one of the most poisonous ones.
asserted
it → tell → ones
And then I started researching it and I found out it was like the yellow belly one,” she added.
asserted
she → start → one
Certified marine naturalist Capt. Chad Steffen told the outlet it appeared to be yellow-bellied sea snake, which carries enough venom to kill a human.
asserted
which → tell → human
“They are very venomous, this particular sea snake, but they’re also very clumsy and sluggish out of the water,” he said.
asserted
he → ’re → water
“They’re not inclined to bite at all.
asserted
They → bite → ?
They’re not aggressive.”
asserted
They → ’re → ?
The snake, which is fully aquatic, has a striking two-tone body, with a dark brown or black back and bright yellow underbelly, along with a flattened, paddle-shaped tail that helps it glide through the water.
asserted
it → have → water
They are typically found farther south in tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Ocean.
asserted
They → find → Pacific
But experts have warned that warmer ocean temperatures associated with El Niño could bring them to Southern California.
uncertain
temperatures → warn → California
El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon marked by warmer-than-average ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific.
asserted
Niño → mark → Pacific
“We’re having a very warm water year this year,” Steffen said.
asserted
Steffen → have → year
The last time a yellow-bellied sea snake was spotted in the area was during the last El Niño period of 2018-2019, the Los Angeles Times reported.
asserted
Times → spot → 2018
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