Aussies stunned as snake found inside belly of coral trout: 'So cool'
The remarkable find was branded an 'incredible' win for science.
Both fishermen and wildlife researchers alike have been left in awe by astonishing photos of an ocean trout that swallowed a sea snake whole, with the remarkable find branded an "incredible" win for science.
Western Australian man Daniel George made the discovery in August of last year — some 40 kilometres off the coast of Port Hedland — and recently posted the images to social media. George told Yahoo News he'd never quite seen anything like it, nor had the many other experts he asked.
The fish in question, a coral trout measuring an impressive 66 centimetres, is believed to have consumed the snake shortly before being caught. While sea snakes make up a large part of other animals's diets, such as tiger sharks, who have quite the appetite for them, researchers rarely come across such finds in fish.
Fishermen, scientists stunned by incredible image
"I have never seen anything like that before," George told Yahoo News Australia. "I have asked several people in fisheries departments and local fishermen — they all have never seen a trout or any fish have a sea snake in its belly."
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Marine research scientist Blanche d'Anastasi, who is completing her PHD in sea snakes, hypothesised that the animal found in the trout's belly may have been a horned sea snake — Hydrophis peronii — due to its "little diamond-shaped scales".
When asked by Yahoo, the team at Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers backed the identification. Darwin-based d'Anastasi said the pictures were a great win for research purposes, and that in fact scientists "don't actually know all that much about what eats sea snakes".
"We know that sea snakes are one of the favourite food types of tiger sharks in Shark Bay in Western Australia," she told Yahoo News. "We often see photos of them being carried away by sea birds too... [there are also] records of very large wrasses eating eating sea snakes.
"For me, I've long suspected that large predatory groupers ate sea snakes. When I was in a place called Hamelin Pool in Shark Bay, I would see this really interesting behaviour from the very large cods — see them rush towards the snakes. I interpreted that as perhaps being territorial but it could have potentially been a part of a predation attempt."
Sea snakes an important part of the food chain
Being "bang in the middle of the food web" d'Anastasi said there are probably many animals "that probably like to eat them", making it all the more important to protect the species, study them, and rehabilitate any injured ones that may wash ashore.
Of the images from Port Hedland, d'Anastasi said they blew her away. "No, I've not [ever seen anything like it]. I mean, I've seen pictures in literature, but I've never seen a big fat sea snake inside a big fat coral trout," she said.
"It's an incredible record," she explained, adding that "we wouldn't keep finding out super interesting things that we might not have known about sea snakes if the public hadn't brought these records to our attention".
Aussies urged to report any sightings
When it comes to beached sea snakes, the researcher warned that Aussies should steer clear, avoid getting too close — because "as a group, they're among the most venomous snakes in the world" — and call the to experts who will come and collect the animal.
"They're not particularly interested in you most of the time. So if you just leave them alone, they'll leave you alone," she said, adding that only injured sea snakes will beach themselves.
"Report your sightings because those records are helping us understand where sea snakes occur in Australia, and it's helping us understand stranding patterns."
Online the images were branded "so cool" and attracted hundreds of interactions.
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