By Pete Thomas
A wildlife photographer this week shared a “super rare” photo showing a large sea snake breaching nearly clear of the surface at the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea.
The eye-catching image caused some of Rachelle Mackintosh’s Instagram followers to look twice while trying to figure out precisely what they were seeing.
But Mackintosh assured in her description that it was an olive sea snake, a venomous reef predator that typically remains hidden by day, breaking the surface in what seemed a bizarre behavior.
Mackintosh, from Sydney, Australia, captured the image in June 2017. The snake measured 6-plus feet.
She was on a multi-day diving expedition at Ribbon Reefs, a remote section of the Great Barrier Reef known for its marine diversity and pristine waters, “to spend a few days swimming with dwarf minke whales.”
“One of the coolest things about them is that their vocalizations sound like Jedi light sabres in action,” Mackintosh joked. “They’re also very friendly and will hang out around the boat for hours on end.”
But for several moments, the olive sea snake stole the spotlight.
“The snake seemed to appear from nowhere and swam on the surface for a couple of seconds, when suddenly it started doing this weird little move where it would slightly lift its head, like it was looking for something,” Mackintosh recalled. “Then it did this full kind of lift out of the water and then splashed down and disappeared again.
“It was super surreal – and one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.” Mackintosh said she was told by a researcher that the snake might have been trying to escape predation by sharks, or merely inspecting its surroundings, or simply engaging in playful behavior.
Olive sea snakes are common along Australia’s northern coast and throughout the Great Barrier Reef. They must surface to breathe but can remain submerged for up to two hours. They typically prey on small fish and crustaceans, primarily at night, and hide in reefs during the day.
While olive sea snakes are not aggressive toward humans, they will bite if threatened or harassed, and bites can be fatal.
–Images courtesy of Rachelle Mackintosh
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