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‘Diving Grannies’ Reveal Giant Population of Venomous Sea Snakes

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Seven "underwater grandmothers" are helping scientists take pictures of venomous sea snakes off the coast of Noumea, New Caledonia. (Photo Credit: Claire Goiran / UNC)

Snorkeling grandmothers recently helped discover a massive population of venomous sea snakes off the coast of New Caledonia.

The “diving grannies” are participating in a novel citizen science project that involves photographing venomous sea snakes in the waters off the city of Noumea, said a Macquarie University press release. Pictures of these big creatures will enable scientists to better understand marine ecology in the area.

In 2017, seven women, all in their 60s and 70s, offered to assist scientists Dr. Claire Goiran from the University of New Caledonia and professor Rick Shine from Australia’s Macquarie University in their mission to document the sea snake population in Baie des citrons, a popular swimming spot.

For 15 years, Dr. Goiran and Shine have been keeping track of the  turtle-headed sea snakes (Emydocephalus annulatus) in the waters. During this time though, they spotted another larger species, the venomous greater sea snake (Hydrophis major). About six years ago, the duo decided to take a closer look at this robust snake, however, they didn’t report many sightings at the time.

This is where the “Fantastic Grandmothers” came into the picture: The squad enjoyed recreational snorkeling in Baie des citrons and proposed a citizen science project to help the scientists. For the past couple of years, the women have been capturing photos of these potentially lethal creatures underwater.

“The results have been astonishing,” says Goiran. “As soon as the grandmothers set to work, we realized that we had massively underestimated the abundance of greater sea snakes in the bay.”

Greater sea snakes are known for their distinctive markings and they are easily identifiable in photographs. A paper published in the journal Ecosphere shares details on the project’s findings, which documented that there are more than 249 greater sea snakes in the small bay. No local residents or tourists have been bit by the reptiles, which typically keep to themselves.

“The incredible energy of the Grandmothers, and their intimate familiarity with ‘my’ study area, have transformed our understanding of the abundance and ecology of marine snakes in this system,” Goiran added. “It’s a great pleasure and privilege to work with them.”

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