strantor
Platinum Member
I've known the maxim "red & yellow kill a fellow, red & black you're OK Jack" for as long as I can remember. I've come across so many of the coral snake imposters over the years that I began to think maybe the coral snake is a myth. Well it isn't, I learned. My daughter went out one morning recently to open the chicken coop and came back in and told my wife there was a snake at the door. She went to inspect, and called me on the phone (I was already at work) and told me there is a coral snake at the back door. I told her "it's probably just a milk snake or whatever they're called. Are you sure about the colors?" She said she was positive; I still doubted. But I told her to kill it just to be safe. She killed it and sent me a picture. It was for real. I couldn't believe it. I've been looking twice and thrice at snakes my whole life, watching out for this probably mythical ultra deadly 3-tone assassin. To me, this was the equivalent of having a chupacabra slain on my patio while I was away.
When I got home I read up a bit on coral snakes. This is what I found; the top level information I think everyone should know, because there seems to be a lot myths about them.
1. They are real
2. They are fast
3. They have the second-strongest venom of any snake (second only to the black mamba)
4. They do NOT need to "chew" on you to deliver venom. They can bite just as well as any other snake.
5. They don't run in pairs. At least i wasn't able to find any evidence of it.
6. Nobody has been killed by one in decades. 0 deaths. From the most venomous snake on this continent.
How is that? How no deaths from a snake so venomous? If you google "most venomous snake" you'll find top 10 lists and the coral snake won't be on it. The reason for that is, Google thinks it's smarter than you; you're an idiot who doesn't know the subtle differences between the definitions of "venomous" and "deadly." Google determines that you have used a word too big for your vocabulary, and clearly you meant "deadly." So you're shown top 10 lists of the world's most deadly snakes. These are lists of snakes which are very aggressive, going out of their way to bite people. They claim hundreds of lives each year. The coral snake is not on that list because it's a scaredy-snake. It runs from threats and only bites when captured. Also the snakes on those top 10 lists generally have long, thick fangs that produce so much venom that it squirts out like it's trying to set a record. The coral snake has smaller fangs and smaller venom organs. It can't envenomate as efficiently as those other snakes.
It doesn't kill people often (i think), because:
1. It's a pretty uncommon snake
2. People are deathly afraid of it
3. It's deathly afraid of people, and skilled at evasion
4. It is not designed to be a man killer.
From now on, I look at coral snakes with about as much hesitation as an opossum. If i ever see one again.
When I got home I read up a bit on coral snakes. This is what I found; the top level information I think everyone should know, because there seems to be a lot myths about them.
1. They are real
2. They are fast
3. They have the second-strongest venom of any snake (second only to the black mamba)
4. They do NOT need to "chew" on you to deliver venom. They can bite just as well as any other snake.
5. They don't run in pairs. At least i wasn't able to find any evidence of it.
6. Nobody has been killed by one in decades. 0 deaths. From the most venomous snake on this continent.
How is that? How no deaths from a snake so venomous? If you google "most venomous snake" you'll find top 10 lists and the coral snake won't be on it. The reason for that is, Google thinks it's smarter than you; you're an idiot who doesn't know the subtle differences between the definitions of "venomous" and "deadly." Google determines that you have used a word too big for your vocabulary, and clearly you meant "deadly." So you're shown top 10 lists of the world's most deadly snakes. These are lists of snakes which are very aggressive, going out of their way to bite people. They claim hundreds of lives each year. The coral snake is not on that list because it's a scaredy-snake. It runs from threats and only bites when captured. Also the snakes on those top 10 lists generally have long, thick fangs that produce so much venom that it squirts out like it's trying to set a record. The coral snake has smaller fangs and smaller venom organs. It can't envenomate as efficiently as those other snakes.
It doesn't kill people often (i think), because:
1. It's a pretty uncommon snake
2. People are deathly afraid of it
3. It's deathly afraid of people, and skilled at evasion
4. It is not designed to be a man killer.
From now on, I look at coral snakes with about as much hesitation as an opossum. If i ever see one again.
