Coral Snakes

[crash325]

Interesting Facts about Coral Snakes
written by: Diana Cooper • edited by: Laurie Patsalides • updated: 8/16/2010

Learn about this beautiful but deadly snake. Find fun and interesting facts about coral snakes, including their behavior, habitat, and diet.

The Coral Snake

Eastern Coral Snake "Red on yellow, kill a fellow" and " red on black, friend of Jack" are a couple of folk rhymes to distinguish between the venomous coral snake (in North America) and similar non-venomous snakes. Below are more fun facts about coral snakes.
Description

The average length of a coral snake is 20-30 inches. Their colors are brilliant, consisting of large red and black bands and small yellow bands. The size of their head is small, making it difficult for someone to grab them from behind, and the size of their fangs are small, making it more difficult (compared to snakes with large fangs) to deliver venom in its victim (especially through thick leather clothing).

Behavior
Coral snakes are most active at night and usually stay hidden during the day hours. In general, coral snakes are not aggressive. If confronted by humans, they normally flee.



Having living in the desert and knowing coral snakes are here. I have never seen 1 in the wild. I would bet that they have seen me.

 

[RTII]

I think that was the only sentence I didn't read....and I was looking for someone to mention king snakes

Funny enough, I have yet to see a scarlet king around here. Lotsa other varieties though to keep me watching where I'm stepping!

 

[creekbend]

We had a similar saying when I was growing up. "Red next to Yellow will kill a fellow, Red next to Black, okay for Jack".

 

[RTII]

Interesting Facts about Coral Snakes




Behavior
Coral snakes are most active at night and usually stay hidden during the day hours. In general, coral snakes are not aggressive. If confronted by humans, they normally flee.

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If they are most active at night we've got way more than I think. LOL. Every one I've seen has been during the day. I will agree that most of them tried to flee when I got close to them.

 

[bullbreaker]

I've owned this property here on edge of Fla/Everglades 22+ years.Seen only 2 Corals in that time and both where at bottom of a pine tree. Not out in open land or grass. Maybe we ot to start a scorpion thread !

Boone

 

[jinman]

I have only seen two coral snakes during my lifetime. One was in Tennessee and one was at Fort Jackson in SC where I took basic. Fun Facts About Coral Snakes | eHow.com

Creekbend, that is indeed some "fun facts" in your link. Those eHow dummies have the photo of a banded milk snake instead of a coral snake. Clearly, red does not touch yellow in their photo. The head of the snake is proportionally too big too. Sheesh!

Check out this link.

 

[creekbend]

Creekbend, that is indeed some "fun facts" in your link. Those eHow dummies have the photo of a banded milk snake instead of a coral snake. Clearly, red does not touch yellow in their photo. The head of the snake is proportionally too big too. Sheesh!

Check out this link.

Thanks for the "Heads Up". Perhaps, I should have looked more closely at the photo? There were other websites that were also informative, but I chose that one, because it was the first one that appeared. Thanks again for the Heads Up.

 

[creekbend]

I've owned this property here on edge of Fla/Everglades 22+ years.Seen only 2 Corals in that time and both where at bottom of a pine tree. Not out in open land or grass. Maybe we ot to start a scorpion thread !

Boone

When we lived in Florida, I was helping a friend install new PVC to one of the bathrooms in his mobile home. I got stung by a scorpion on my lower right arm while underneath the mobile home. It was very small and the resulting sting caused a fair amount of swelling and hurt for several days. At the time, I wasn't even aware that Florida had scorpions. I was more worried about the Brown Recluse spider.

 

[lockhaven]

why are so many people so afraid of snakes? it does not make any sense. Except in stories they do their best to avoid any large creature because they are really a very fragile creature.

 

[HCJtractor]

Just curious, but where are you seeing them? In the brush, rocky areas, or just out in the open? I wonder if they den up like rattlesnakes?? I believe I would do some major clearing around the house but I am sure you already thought of that.