A reptile feared to be a venomous turtle-headed sea snake was found on a beach on the East Cork coast on Thursday 3 January, as the Irish Examiner reports.

However, minds were put at ease when the dead snake spotted by the local coastguard on Youghal Beach turned out to be a California kingsnake — a non-venomous species that had likely been kept as a pet.

It’s not yet known now the 1.5-metre snake came to be on the beach. The Irish Examiner has more here.