Spot a Coral Snake
The coral snake is a relative of the Indian Cobra. It is the most venomous snake in the United Snake, but only makes up for a small portion of snake bites. The coral snake comes in two variations. The Arizona Coral and the Texas Coral (Western Coral snakes) and the Eastern Coral snakes share similar traits and characteristics. Here's spot a coral snake.
Instructions
1. Look for a coral snake in its habitat. All coral snakes spend much of their time underground and in cracks and crevices. The Western Coral has been known to prefer certain the rocky desert regions with the Saguara Cactus. They also are found in the desert, scrub, woodlands, grasslands, and thorn scrub. The Eastern Coral snake prefers wet sandy areas.
2. Look for coral snakes in certain areas of the United States. The Eastern Coral snake can be found in South Carolina, coastal Georgia, southern Alabama, southern Mississippi, southern Arkansas, far eastern portions of Louisiana, and all of Florida. The Texas Coral snake can be found in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The Arizona Coral Snake is found in the southwestern United States.
3. Notice a coral snake's unique characteristics. They are 20 to 24 inches long. The coral snakes have a unique pattern that sets them apart from copycat snakes. The first color on a coral snake is black on the tip of the head. Then there are yellow and red bands that touch. Remember the old saying, "red and yellow will kill a fellow." If the bands touch, you have encountered the real thing. The Texas Coral have black speckles in their red bands. The tail of an Arizona Coral has black and red bands only.
4. Determine if the snake you've found is a coral snake by watching its behavior. They are usually very secretive but come out in the summer rains. You can run into one in the early morning or evening, but the snakes are usually nocturnal.
Tags: coral snake, Arizona Coral, Eastern Coral, snake found, Texas Coral, coral snake