Texas Coral Snake

Micrurus tener

Description 5

VENOMOUS. Smooth scales, narrow head, and round pupils. Typical coral snakes have red, yellow, and black bands with the red and yellow bands touching. Most about 2 ft (61cm) long, occasionally up to 3 ft (91cm). (J. R. Dixon and J. E. Werler, Texas Snakes: A Field Guide, University of Texas Press, 2000.)

IDENTIFICATION NOTES: Do not rely on rules or rhymes for identifying coral snakes, as all of the color bands may not always be present in aberrant individuals. Contrary to common myth, the Texas coral snake has short fixed fangs and is capable of easily injecting their neurotoxic venom into a person or large animal. They are capable of gaping wide enough to bite any part of one's body quickly and do not need to chew to envenomate. However, they are very shy and rarely bite. There has never been a single recorded human death from a Texas coral snake bite.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Amber Leung, all rights reserved, uploaded by Amber Leung
  2. (c) David G. Barker, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by David G. Barker
  3. (c) Clint Morgan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Clint Morgan
  4. (c) johnwilliams, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by johnwilliams
  5. (c) Amber Leung, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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