A highly venomous, yellow-bellied sea snake was found washed up at Honoli’i Beach in Hilo last week, according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

These sea snakes are rarely seen onshore in Hawaii, said agriculture officials, who advise the public not to touch the snakes which are often mistaken for eels.

A sea snake is easily distinguished by the bright yellow markings on its underside, they said.

On Feb. 4, the Hilo Plant Quarantine Branch received a call from the Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources of a live snake pinned under a log at Honolii Beach.

Inspectors went to the beach and collected the 3-foot-long snake, which had been contained by lifeguards in a 5-gallon bucket. No injuries were reported.

Agriculture officials said sightings of yellow-bellied sea snakes on land are rare in Hawaii and usually occur when strong winds or currents cause them to wash up on the shoreline.

Yellow-bellied sea snakes inhabit the Pacific Ocean but are illegal to import or possess in Hawaii.

“We want to take this opportunity to inform the public to be wary of any snake-like reptile in or near the ocean,” Sharon Hurd, chair of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, said in a news release. “This type of sea snake can be more venomous than a cobra and potentially lethal to humans.”

If you see a sea snake onshore, do not touch it and contact the state’s toll-free pest hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).