The flattened tail tells the tale. It’s a sea snake. I found it at Broome’s Town Beach. About 31 species are known from Australian waters, not all come to this part of the coast. They are mostly found in the tropics. Most feed on fish and are highly venomous but not aggressive to people. They swim well but cannot slither along on land. They are live bearers which enables to spend their entire lives in the water but they do need to come to the surface to breath. They are closely related to Australia’s terrestrial elapids.
I can’t identify this one to species. About 10 species are known from this area but that doesn’t guarantee that it’s one of them. It has a relatively large head which does rule out a few species. If you can solve the mystery please let me know in the comments.
bobmcgee 