(CNN) — Seven snorkeling grandmothers have helped scientists to uncover a large population of venomous sea snakes in a New Caledonia bay popular with residents and cruise passengers. "The Fantastic Grandmothers," as they call themselves, have worked with scientists from the University of New Caledonia and Macquarie University, Australia, since June 2017. All in their 60s and 70s, they are enthusiastic snorkelers who volunteered to photograph the deadly sea snakes. Although 45 individuals had been sighted by the end of 2016, photographs taken by the grandmothers and Goiran recorded more than 140 greater sea snakes between October 2016 and November 2018. Related content A clever African toad learns to copy a deadly snakeScientists say this is a remarkable number of venomous snakes for a reef which is under 35 hectares in size.

Source: CNN October 24, 2019 10:27 UTC