U.S.WEIRD NEWS

Orcas, sea snake and first turtle nests: California's El Niño guests

Orcas, a venomous sea snake and the first documented olive ridley nests on the West Coast are turning up as warm water pushes north; kelp may suffer most.

On air: Kenji Moonfield and Hank Ledger on Late Night BBN
Published 11:08 PM ET, Sunday, October 18, 2026

Photo: Content published by Rebecca Lindsey and reviewed by Tom… · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

▶ As it aired · U.S.

Watch it as it aired: Kenji Moonfield and Hank Ledger on this story, from Late Night BBN at 11:08 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Yahoo's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Content published by Rebecca Lindsey and reviewed by Tom… · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

Photo: El Niño–Southern Oscillation — Photo: Content published by Rebecca Lindsey and reviewed by Tom… · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by Yahoo: “The exotic –– and extremely weird –– new species being spotted off California as super El Niño looms”.
Covered on BBN on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 11:08 PM ET on Late Night BBN, by Kenji Moonfield and Hank Ledger.
Topics: El Niño, California.
BBN covered this story before: Super El Niño linked to uptick in Galápagos iguana trafficking (October 16).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

YahooThe exotic –– and extremely weird –– new species being spotted off California as super El Niño looms

What BBN said about it

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo California just got its first turtle moms, and they picked Seal Beach and Huntington Beach.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThose are the two most crowded parking situations on the coast.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThere's more.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorPassengers on a whale watching cruise counted ten to thirteen orcas off Newport Beach, and a beachgoer used a palm frond to lift a venomous sea snake back into the water.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentA palm frond? that guy treated a venomous snake like a stuck pizza slice and just flipped it.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAnglers on one Dana Point boat have pulled in five thousand yellowfin tuna this year, compared with two a year ago, according to the boat's co-owner.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentTwo.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorExperts expect things to mostly return to normal after El Niño passes next year.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorRex, any chance your desk has a team that wins five thousand times?

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The story so far

Oct 12Super El Niño threatens food system; foreign money in ballot fights · The Guardian
Oct 12Argentina closes Iguazu Falls as El Niño rains swell the river · The Guardian
Oct 13Indonesia wildfire fuelled by El Niño razes almost 300 homes · The Guardian
Oct 13Super El Niño sets another record as it strengthens · BBC
Oct 15Earth's vital signs hit record extremes as El Niño arrives · Wired
Oct 16Super El Niño linked to uptick in Galápagos iguana trafficking · Popular Science
Oct 18Orcas, sea snake and first turtle nests: California's El Niño guests (this story)

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Sunday, October 18, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months

Orcas, sea snake and first turtle nests: California's El Niño guests

At a glance

The real story

What BBN said about it

More Shorts

The story so far

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