Common coral snake, American cobra
The Eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius) is a highly venomous snake native to the southeastern United States. It should not be confused with the Scarlet snake (Cemophora coccinea ) or Scarlet kingsnake, which are harmless mimics. People who live in its natural range are often taught a folk rhyme as children such as: "Red next to black, safe from attack; red next to yellow, you're a dead fellow," or "Red touching black, friend of Jack; red touching yellow, you're a dead fellow", or simply "red and yellow kill a fellow". These rhymes are useful in teaching children to distinguish king snakes (Lampropeltis ssp.), which are considered helpful predators of vermin such as rats and mice, from the venomous coral snake, which should only be handled by an experienced biologist or herpetologist. However, this rhyme is only applicable to the United States species, and cannot be used reliably in the Caribbean, or Central or South America.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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Highly venomousHighly venomous animals are able to produce the most toxic venom which is considered to be one of the most debilitating and potentially deadly.
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SolitaryHi
HibernatingHibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe color pattern of this species consists of a series of rings that encircle the body: wide red and black rings separated by narrow yellow rings. The head is black from the rostral scale to just behind the eyes. This snake commonly has a black snout as well as black eyes and then a yellow band on the back half of their head behind the eyes. The red rings are usually speckled with black. Males have longer tails than females, but females reach a greater total length.
The range of Eastern coral snakes extends from southeastern North Carolina, south through South Carolina and peninsular Florida, and westward through southern Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to southeastern Louisiana. These snakes live in hammocks in Florida, as well as glade land, high pine, scrub oak live oak hammock, slash pine, and wiregrass flatwoods. In southern Georgia and Florida, they inhabit dry areas with open ground that are bushy but not heavily vegetated. These snakes are associated with sandy ridges in Mississippi and sandy creek bottoms in Louisiana. They are rarer in North and South Carolina but are usually found there in the scrub oak forests and pitch pine habitats near the coast, as well as the coastal plain of the southeast.
Eastern coral snakes are very secretive and spend most of their time underground. They are most active in the spring and fall; during cold months these snakes hibernate in their burrows. These are solitary creatures that do their hunting by day. They move mainly on the ground and usually do not climb trees or shrubs. Eastern coral snakes are not aggressive and when they feel threatened will elevate and curl the tip of their tail and may release gas from their cloaca to frighten predators.
The venom of the Eastern coral snake is a potent neurotoxin with a median LD50 of 1.3 mg/kg SC. Envenomation causes rapid paralysis and respiratory failure in prey. In humans, symptoms include slurred speech, double vision, and muscular paralysis eventually leading to respiratory failure. Bites and fatalities are very rare. The snake is considered secretive and generally reluctant to bite (its venomous potential was still being debated in the 1880s), and envenomation (i.e., secretion of venom during a strike) is thought to occur in only 40% of all bites. Unlike New World pit vipers, this New World coral snake cannot control the amount of primarily neurotoxic venom injected. Dry bites often result from a near miss or deflection; although the venom an adult coral snake holds is enough to kill up to five adults, it cannot release all its venom in a single bite. Historically, however, the mortality rate was estimated to be about 10-20%, with death occurring in as little as one to two hours, or as much as 26 hours after the bite. Wyeth discontinued the manufacture of coral snake antivenin in 2010, citing a lack of profitability. Pfizer has also decided to halt production of its antivenin for similar reasons (see Coral snake antivenom shortage). As of July 2021, Pfizer indicates that antivenom is available and one source states that production has resumed.
Eastern coral snakes are carnivores. They eat lizards, frogs, and smaller snakes, including other coral snakes
Eastern coral snakes breed in late spring and early fall. Females lay 3 to 12 eggs usually underground or under leaf litter. The incubation period lasts around 60 to 70 days. Baby coral snakes measure approximately 18-23 cm (7-9 in) at birth and are venomous. Young females become reproductively mature at 21-27 months of age while males attain reproductive maturity when they are 11-21 months old.
The main threats to Eastern coral snakes include habitat destruction due to residential and commercial development and mortality on roads. In Alabama, this species suffers from the introduction of the fire ant, which preys on eggs and baby coral snakes.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Eastern coral snake total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
