Higher Calling Wildlife

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Gulf of Mexico, Mysterious Wildlife

An Answer To Gulf Sea Snake Mystery?

March 25, 2025 Chester Moore Leave a comment

The réponse to my blogs about sea snake sightings in the Gulf of Mexico over the last few years ha been tremendous. I have received nearly 200 reports dating back to the 1970s ranging from Cuba to the South Texas Coast.

Some have included photos that were misidentified eels, yet other reports were more mysterious.

Sea snakes are not indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic so these reports are quite controversial to say the least.

I recently received an email with an interesting and (fairly) clear photo of a snake caught on Galveston Island, TX.

The people who caught it thought it might be a sea snake.

After all, it was on the beach and did not look like snakes commonly seen by most citizens in the region.

The snake in the photo however is a Gulf salt marsh snake (Nerodia clarkii clarkii).

I never thought of these being the source of some Gulf region sea snake sightings until receiving this photo.

It does makes sense for numerous reports I have received in open bays and beaches in the region.

Very few people know of this snake and they are very aquatic.

According to officials with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), the Gulf salt marsh snake grows to a length of 15 to 30 inches.

Distinguishing characteristics include two longitudinal tan or yellow stripes on each side of the body, making up the dorsal (top) pattern of the snake. It has a reddish-brown or grayish-black ventral (bottom) color with one to three rows of large pale spots along the center of the belly. This snake is flat headed.

They added that as a way to avoid predators, salt marsh snakes are nocturnal (active at night) and often hide in shoreline debris and in crab burrows in the mud or sand.

The Gulf salt marsh snake does not have salt glands to help rid itself of the salt it eats so it must be very careful not to drink salt water. It gets moisture from rainfall and from the animals it eats.

Interestingly, their name is Nerodia clarkii, but it is a subspecies of this group so the actual name is Nerodia clarkii clarkii according to the University of Florida.

The other two subspecies are found in Florida. The Mangrove salt marsh snake (Nerodia clarkii compressicauda) is found from central Gulf coast of Florida, around the Keys to Indian River County on the Atlantic coast. The Atlantic salt marsh snake (Nerodia clarkii taeniata) has a very small range.

These snakes are nonvenomous but will bite if handled.An illustration of a true sea snake, a banded sea krait. If you are vacationing or working in their Pacific and Indian ocean range do not pick up. Sea snakes are the most venomous snakes on Earth despite generally having a calm disposition.

It’s best to leave them alone especially noting that TPWD officials and other researchers believe their numbers are on the decline.

These unique snakes will not account for all of the “sea snake”sightings in the Gulf region but I now believe they are part of the equation.

Chester Moore

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Gulf of Mexico, Mysterious Wildlife

Many Sea Snake Reports Come From the Gulf of Mexico

March 11, 2025 Chester Moore Leave a comment

There are many sea snake reports coming from the Gulf of Mexico.

Sea snakes are not native to the Gulf and there have never been scientifically verified specimens found in the region but sightings persist.

Here is just a sampling of reports we have received at Higher Calling Wildlife®.

Cave Encounter in Cancun, Mexico
A swimmer in a cave with their 3-year-old daughter encountered a massive, dark, shiny black snake with a vivid, wide red stripe along its side. Estimated at 10 feet long, the snake had a flat, wide body much larger than a python. Despite seeking answers at an aquarium, they could not identify this unusual snake among known sea snake species, as most are much more slender. The sighting occurred 25 years ago.

Sea Krait Sighting in Galveston, Texas
A marine biology-trained couple observed a 7–8 foot long sea krait with a paddle-like tail and unmistakable blue coloring. It swam against a strong outgoing tide near a fishing pier and eventually moved onto land. The witnesses emphasized their certainty in distinguishing it from an eel and speculated its presence might be linked to international shipping introducing non-native species to the area.

Possible Sea Krait in Nayarit, Mexico
A snorkeler in the Islas Marietas National Park off the Nayarit coast reported seeing what appeared to be a banded sea krait on the sea floor in a reef. The observer sought confirmation of similar sightings, unsure if their identification was accurate.

Yellow Snake Encounter in Corpus Christi, Texas
A yellow snake emerged from the water at a beach, startling a group of friends. After comparing photos, the snake was tentatively identified as a juvenile yellow-bellied sea snake. The incident led to a discussion on the rarity of sea snakes in the Gulf of Mexico.

Translucent Snake in Bradenton Beach, Florida
A translucent pinkish snake, approximately 2 feet long and 1 inch in diameter, was seen on multiple occasions at a pier. A similar yellowish snake was observed once, both swimming at the surface near lights. These rare sightings prompted the observer to handle the animals with caution.

Group of Banded Sea Snakes in Pasco County, Florida
At least 20 banded sea snakes were spotted swimming near a creek mouth by a fisherman with decades of experience in the area. The snakes moved towards the Gulf with the outgoing tide, an unusual sighting for the seasoned observer.

Sea Snake Sighting in Akumal Bay, Mexico
On two separate occasions, a visitor observed what appeared to be a sea snake gliding along the shoreline in Akumal Bay. The black-and-white banded appearance matched images of sea kraits. The observer was struck by the rarity of such sightings in the Caribbean.

Sarasota Bay, Florida Sea Snake Observations
A white sea snake with black bands was seen multiple times in Sarasota Bay, Florida. The observer explained the sightings to friends and initially assumed such snakes lived in the Gulf before reading articles indicating otherwise.

Banded Sea Snake Near Freeport, Texas
During a fishing trip near an offshore oil rig, a witness observed a black-and-white banded sea snake near the rig’s structure.

We believe some of these reports are likely a case of mistaken identity with eels, but some are not as easy to explain away.

What do you think about these reports?

Do you think you have encountered a sea snake in the Gulf of Mexico?

Submit reports to chester@chestermoore.com.

Creepy Dolls In the Swamp!

Swamps are popular places for hunting, fishing and camping.

Swamps are also a place where many crimes are committed and where many missing people simply vanished.

In this captivating episode of the Dark Outdoors podcast, renowned author and adventurer Lyle Blackburn delves into the enigmatic and often perilous realms of North America’s swamplands, as chronicled in his book, “Sinister Swamps: Monsters and Mysteries from the Mire.” Tailored for hunting and fishing enthusiasts, this discussion unveils the hidden dangers and mysteries lurking within these shadowy wetlands.

You can also listen directly on Podbean.

Unexplained Disappearances in the Everglades and Great Dismal Swamp

Blackburn recounts chilling tales of hunters, campers, and outdoorsmen who vanished without a trace in the vast expanses of the Everglades and the Great Dismal Swamp. These stories of missing outdoors lovrs highlight the unpredictable and treacherous nature of these environments, where dense foliage and murky waters can conceal both natural and unnatural threats. Listeners are urged to consider the potential hazards that lie beyond the familiar trails, emphasizing the importance of vigilance and preparedness in such remote areas.

Venturing into the heart of an Alabama swamp, Blackburn explores the unsettling discovery of mysterious dolls eerily displayed among the trees. This bizarre tableau has puzzled locals and visitors alike, sparking theories ranging from local folklore to sinister intentions. For those who frequent the outdoors, this account serves as a reminder of the inexplicable occurrences that can transform a routine excursion into an uncanny experience.

Check out our first, groundbreaking article on sea snakes here.

Chester Moore

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We have the full report on this story over at our sister blog Gulf Great White Sharks. Click here to read.

Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.

Gulf of Mexico

Crazy Story About The Shark That Attacked Four People At South Padre Island

July 8, 2024 Chester Moore Leave a comment

A shark attack that involved multiple people July 4 at South Padre Island has been covered by dozens of media outlets with stories shared via thousands of social media accounts.

On Monday morning, as I got my day started, I searched for updates and came across one that had some “interesting” details.

The article said that, “South Padre Island and Cameron County Parks officials harnessed the shark in order to move it towards the sea, according to Captain Dowdy from Texas Parks and Wildlife.”

I have heard many things in relation to sharks and shark attacks over the years but never any agency able to capture, handle and “harness” a shark in open water to “move it toward the sea”.

I reached out to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) officials, sending them a link to the story and asked if they could confirm or deny any such actions.

“I’m not sure where this article got that information from as we neither “harnessed” the shark nor were we able to identify the type of shark it was. I really don’t know where the “harness” comment came from,” said Meggie Berger,Public Information Officer for TPWD’s law enforcement division.

Besides the “harnessing” story, various outlets have reported TPWD have confirmed the attacking shark was a bull shark.

“My best guess on the identity of the shark is that one of our game wardens participated in a live interview on Friday alongside a shark expert. That shark expert, who is not affiliated with TPWD, identified the shark. We are unable to confirm if what he said is accurate or not.”

Chester Moore

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Gulf of Mexico

Great White Off The Texas and Florida Coasts

April 19, 2024 Chester Moore Leave a comment

Did you know great white sharks are returning to the Gulf of Mexico in a big way?

We talk about a case of a great white off the Texas Coast a few years back as well as dig into the reason white sharks are returning to Gulf waters in the latest episode of Higher Calling Wildlife on YouTube.

New Great White Sharks Blog

I’m super excited to debut my new blog that’s all about great white sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s over at www.gulfgreatwhites.com.

It’s the place to get up to date info on the return of great white sharks in the Gulf of Mexico as well as covering other large sharks in Gulf waters such as makos, porbeagles, tigers and bulls.

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PS: If you want to go down a great white rabbit hole check out my friend Michael Maye’s blog about an alleged monster-sized one.

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Gulf of Mexico

There Was Another Sabine Pass Great White Shark

March 9, 2024 Chester Moore 7 Comments

It was a phone conversation I will never forget.

“Hey Chester man, I need you to help me out,” said Capt. Ryan Warhola.

“Dude, aren’t you on an offshore charter today?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m calling on my satellite phone. I need to know what the difference is between a mako’s teeth and a great white’s teeth,” he said.

“The sharks look roughly similar but a mako has jagged teeth and a great white has basically perfect triangles. Plus, big whites have a whole lot more girth.”

“Oh my…”

There was silence for a moment and then a statement I never expected to hear.

“Chester, that means I’m looking at a great white shark. We pulled up to the rigs and it’s swimming around the boat,” Warhola said.

He was and is a very knowledgable angler and I believed him. His encounter set me on the path of an in-depth investigation on great whites in the Gulf that became a Texas Outdoor Writer’s Association award-winning article for Tide magazine.

The sighting was back in 2005 and then there was controversy over the topic. Some people, even despite, old historical records denied there ever being great whites in the Gulf.

Ten years later, Ocearch’s satellite-tagged sharks proved they were here and most recently, “LeeBeth,” a 14.1 foot, 2,600-pound female fitted with a satellite tag by Capt. Chip Michalove of Outcast Sport Fishing shocked shark lovers.

Tagged Dec. 8, 2023 in South Carolina, she showed in the surf at South Padre Feb. 26 and about 100 miles or so out of Sabine Pass on the Texas/Louisiana border March 7.

And that’s exactly where Warhola saw his great white.

I got a text from him after the story broke here at Higher Calling Wildlife®.

“And to think no one believed us back in the early 2000s.”

Warhola recounted his encounter while fishing at rig WC 268 58 miles from the Sabine Jetties. The rig has since been removed like many in the area but his memory remains vivid.

“I remember pulling up and all the rig workers were leaning over looking at the water. One yelled that there was a giant shark and about five minutes later it began swimming around the boat,” he said.

A lifelong love of great white sharks led the author to pursue his dream of cage diving with them. He did that in the Farallon Islands off the coast of California in 2002. The surf board he is holding was the bait. The damage you see here is from an 18 footer believed to weigh more than 3,000 pounds.

Warhola said the shark’s features were striking.

“i remember black eyes about as big around as a coke can. It had huge girth and those triangle-shaped teeth.”

Now we know not only from “LeeBeth” that is wearing a Atlantic Great White Conservancy tag, but also “Acadia”, an Ocearch-tagged great white that showed up 125 miles off the coast of Galveston in 2021, they do hang out in this part of the Gulf of Mexico

That is why these tagging programs are so important.

And although these recently confirmed Texas visits and scientific surveys of the past are insightful, I was the kid who saw Jaws and wanted to get in the water.

It’s not just about knowledge with whites. There is an awe factor.

I remember standing with my Dad staring at a full moon glimmering over the surf at the end of the 61st Street Pier in Galveston at age 12. I pondered whether there were any great whites in the Gulf and even in Texas waters.

“Maybe so,” Dad said.

Getting to break the story of Acadia in 2021 and LeeBeth’s arrival near my home waters has been a career highlight. It lets the little boy that’s still very much alive in me know that my wildest dreams can still come true.

And gives the professional wildlife journalist writing this blog inspiration to dig deeper.

There are things beneath the surface we don’t totally understand just yet.

And some of them grow to 3,000 plus pounds, sport a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and show up where the darn well please.

That might be at a rig off Sabine Pass or the surf at South Padre Island, TX.

If LeeBeth has shown us anything, it’s that when it comes to great white sharks, her kind is full of surprises.

Chester Moore

Acadiana Boat, Sport & RV Show

Mark your calendars for the Acadiana Boat, Sport & RV Show. Connect with everything from new boats to fish equipment and guided fishing trips. Check it out at Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino March 22-24.

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UPDATE 3/09: Heres’ exclusive story about another great white out Sabine Pass. Click here.

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Great White Sharks, Gulf of Mexico

So, There’s A Great White Shark Due South of Sabine Pass, TX

March 7, 2024 Chester Moore 4 Comments

Our story on a great white shark showing up just a couple of hundred yards from the surf at South Padre Island went viral.

On Feb. 26, “LeeBeth,” a 14.1 foot, 2,600-pound female fitted with a satellite tag by Capt. Chip Michalove of Outcast Sport Fishing shocked shark lovers when she showed up in Texas.

She was tagged December 8, 2023, off the coast of South Carolina and took an amazing journey that continues as she “pings” all over the Gulf.

You can read that story here.

That means her fin has breached the surface and she has made satellite contact and most recently south of Sabine Pass, TX.

LeeBeth in all of her glory. Photo courtesy Capt. Michalove.

Michalove said this particular shark has pinged more than any other of the 47 he has tagged for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Since Dec. 26, this shark moved down into Mexican waters, back up toward South Padre and on March 7 was due south of Sabine Pass, TX, approximately 125 miles offshore.

Will she move closer to shore? Perhaps she will move toward Florida.

LeeBeth is a real treat to watch and she is highly unpredictable.

The work the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and Capt. Michalove are doing is amazing.

This particular ping is intriguing to me because it goes back to an early part of my career in 2005 when an offshore charter captain friend called me on a satellite phone 55 miles out of Sabine Pass with a great white sighting.

This began in-depth research on the topic and spawned several award-winning stories including one from the Texas Outdoor Writer’s Association in 2022 for my article “Jaws In Texas Waters” for Texas Fish & Game.

Some didn’t think whites existed in Gulf waters, but the amazing work from Ocearch and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy has proven otherwise.

Look for more articles coming soon here on great whites in the Gulf of Mexico as well as a forthcoming summer-long shark series.

Click on the “Subscribe to This Blog” link to get updates when I post new content. It’s at the bottom of the post on mobile and on the right side on dektops/laptops.

Look for more on great white sharks in the Gulf of Mexico coming very soon.

Chester Moore

Acadiana Boat, Sport & RV Show

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Listen to our conversation with Capt. Michalove on this special edition of mHigher Calling Wildlife-the podcast. Click here to listen to our investigative podcast or subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, IHeartradio, etc.

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Gulf of Mexico

Great White Shark Verified Just Off The Beach At South Padre Island, TX

February 29, 2024 Chester Moore 1 Comment

A great white shark has been verified about 200 yards off the beach at South Padre Island, TX.

“LeeBeth,” a 14.1 foot, 2,600-pound female, was fitted with a satellite tag by Capt. Chip Michalove of Outcast Sport Fishing on December 8, 2023, off the coast of South Carolina.

Click to listen to a brief conversation with Capt. Chip Michalove.

Michalove tags for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and said although other Atlantic-tagged sharks have shown up in the Gulf of Mexico, this one made a bee-line for the Lone Star State.

“Most stopped around the Mississippi River, but LeeBeth kept going. She’s traveled 2,000 miles since we caught her off Hilton Head,” Michalove said.

UPDATE MARCH 7: Click here to read about her appearance near Sabine Pass, TX hundreds of miles from South Padre.

“Acadia,” a 1,000-pound female great white tagged by research group Ocearch in Nova Scotia in September 2020, pinged in Feb. 2021, about 140 miles off the coast of Galveston.

“Leebeth,” however, went hundreds of miles further south and much closer to the shore.

UPDATE March 9: Read an exclusive story about another great white shark sighting at Sabine Pass.

She is also “pinging” more than previous sharks.

“The tags only signal back to the satellite when the shark swims near the surface and the fin breaches the water. She’s been pinging a lot, which has given us a great look into her movements,” Michalove said.

LeeBeth in all of her glory. (Photo courtesy Chip Michalove)

In the 1963 book Shadows In the Sea; Sharks, Skates & Rays, the presence of great whites in Texas waters is mentioned as far back as the 1950s.

“A great white shark seven feet long was caught in 15 fathoms, 12 miles off Port Aransas, Texas, on February 9, 1950. Seven days later, a second great white, 11 feet, 4 inches long, was caught in the same area. Ten days later, a third, this one 12 feet, 2 inches long, was caught there.”

Check out our latest update on a pink dolphin and a shocking number of marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico here.

NOAA has some interesting older data on great whites in the Gulf of Mexico. Their earliest recorded white shark was off the coast of Sarasota, Florida, on a set line in the winter of 1937. Another specimen was caught in the same area in 1943.

In February 1965, a female was captured in a net intended for bottlenose dolphins at Mullet Key near St. Petersburg. In addition, National Marine Fisheries Service officials reported 35 great whites as bycatch in the Japanese longline fishery in the Gulf from 1979 through 1982.

Michalove has tagged 47 great whites off the coast of South Carolina and said although he has been fascinated with great whites his whole life, his respect for them has only grown.

“They are so intelligent and are truly amazing creatures. It just blows me away that I can be a part of helping science understand these great and, in many ways, mysterious creatures.”

Follow Capt. Michalove and his shark-tagging adventures on Instagram @outcast_sport_fishing

Chester Moore

Southern Louisiana Boat, Sport & RV Show

Mark your calendars for the Acadiana Boat, Sport & RV Show. Connect with everything from new boats to fish equipment and guided fishing trips. Check it out at Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino.

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

@thechestermoore on Instagram