HANGING AROUND
Biologists have described a new sea snake from Costa Rica that displays a peculiar hunting technique.
The yellow sea snake has been tentatively described as a subspecies of the yellowbellied sea snake. But some remarkable differences mean it might yet turn out to be a distinct species.
While most yellow-bellieds hunt in the daytime, floating motionless on the surface and ambushing passing prey, the yellows feed at night. They also adopt a mysterious ambush posture, hanging upside-down from the surface in tight loops.
“Since the presence of yellow sea snakes in Golfo Dulce was first recognised, they appear to have become an attraction for visitors. In 2009, only one photo of a yellow sea snake was found online,” write the scientists. “In 2016, there were multiple online sightings, Facebook posts, and YouTube videos.”
Such celebrity status has its downsides. Collectors are already removing specimens from the only bay in which the snake is found.