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 An “exotic, incredibly venomous” sea snake has been spotted along the Southern California coast, and a local environmental group said the creature was brought to shore courtesy of El Niño. 
 
 At least one yellow-bellied sea snake, which lives its entire life in the ocean, was recently spotted on a beach in the Oxnard area. 
 
 The reptile typically lives in warmer tropical waters, and its appearance is probably a harbinger of El Niño, the cyclical weather phenomenon connected to warmer sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, according to Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay 
 
 The snake sighting was highlighted by the nonprofit environmental advocacy group in a blog post on Friday. 
 
 "The Yellow-bellied Sea Snake has some of the most poisonous venom in the world, and is a descendant from Asian cobras and Australian tiger snakes," stated the post by Heal the Bay’s senior coastal policy manager, Dana Murray. 
 
 It’s the first time since the early 1980s that the black-and-yellow snake has been seen in California, according to Heal the Bay. The last yellow-bellied sea snake sighted was also during an El Niño phase. 
 
 Two sightings were reported in Oxnard, but it wasn’t clear if they were of the same snake, Murray said in an email. 
 
 “No need to panic,” the organization said on its Facebook page, calling the snake "exotic" and "incredibly venomous." 
 
 Anna Iker said she spotted a snake on Silver Strand Beach near Oxnard on Thursday. It was washed back out to sea, she said. 
 
 Robert Forbes also spotted a yellow-bellied sea snake, possibly the same one, on the same beach. He found it about 9 a.m. Friday, he said, and called the state wildlife department. The snake had died by the time officials arrived hours later, Forbes said. 
 
 The snake was being taken to the Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles, Forbes said. 
 
 Yellow-bellied sea snakes are extremely venomous and members of the public are advised not to touch them. 
 
 They can swim backward and forward and can stay underwater for up to three hours, according to the website CaliforniaHerps.com. 
 
 If you spot one, Heal the Bay requests you take photos, note the exact location, and report the sighting to iNaturalist and Herp Mapper. ||||| For the first time in 30 years or so, a poisonous sea snake has been spotted on a Southern California beach, drawn far north of its usual habitat by what naturalists think are the warming ocean waters because of El Niño. ||||| See more of Heal the Bay on Facebook
– Nature giveth, and nature taketh away. In addition to bringing much needed rain to Southern California this winter, El Niño is apparently also a harbinger of something much less desirable: venomous sea snakes. A yellow-bellied sea snake was seen on a beach near Malibu twice this week, Quartz reports. It's the first time since 1980—another El Niño year—the snake has been reported in California. It's also the furthest north the snake has ever been reported along the Pacific Coast, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a Facebook post on the sightings, environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay says the warmer Pacific Ocean waters caused by El Niño—in addition to the rising ocean temperatures brought on by climate change—are likely the reason for the snake's migration. The state wildlife department was called after the second snake sighting—it's unclear if it was the same snake—Friday, KTLA reports. The snake died soon after, and its body was given to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. According to the Times, the yellow-bellied sea snake lives its entire life in the ocean, so if it's spotted on land it's likely sick or hurt. Beach-goers are warned not to touch the snakes, which Heal the Bay points out are "highly venomous" and descended from Asian cobras and Australian tiger snakes. But the nonprofit helpfully advises there's "no need to panic."