A small, slender, red-yellow-and-black ringed elapid of the American Southeast with extremely potent neurotoxic venom.
Description
The eastern coral snake is a slim, brightly ringed snake under 80 cm with red, yellow, and black bands fully encircling the body. The snout is glossy black, and red rings border yellow rings — the basis of the rhyme used to separate it from harmless milk and scarlet kingsnakes.
Behavior
Coral snakes are secretive burrowers that spend most of their time hidden in leaf litter and beneath logs, hunting smaller snakes and lizards. The small front fangs require a chewing bite to envenomate, but their neurotoxin can cause respiratory failure if untreated.
Range
Distributed across the southeastern United States from North Carolina to Florida and west into eastern Louisiana. They are more abundant in undisturbed pine flatwoods and become rarer toward the northern edge of the range.
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Eastern Coral Snake starts with E . Browse other snakes along the same letter.
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