Rattlesnake Found In Ventura Beach Storm Debris

VENTURA (CBSLA.com) — A rattlesnake was found among storm debris on Ventura Beach Thursday morning.

The snake was photographed slithering among what appeared to be a pile of broken branches, palm fronds and wooden beams, according to a 9:35 a.m. tweet from Ventura police.

Rattlesnakes are common in Southern California, but are rarely seen during the winter months and even rarer still on beaches.

In the run-up El Nino, at least two venomous snakes have been found washed up on Southern California beaches. A yellow-bellied snake was found by the Huntington Beach Surfrider Foundation chapter during a beach clean-up in mid-December, while another was found on Silver Strand Beach in Oxnard in October.

Yellow-bellied sea snakes are typically found in tropical conditions off Mexico and Costa Rica, but it's believed that El Nino's warm water is carrying them farther north.