Barry Mansell (left) and Kenneth L. Krysko (right) photos.

Scientific name: Micrurus fulvius fulvius

Description: Average adult size is 20-30 inches (51-76 cm), record is 47.5 inches (121 cm). Body ringed with black, yellow, and red; narrow yellow rings separating the wider red and black rings. The rings continue across the belly of the snake. From tip of snout to just behind the eye the head is black. The tail is black and yellow, without any red rings. The red rings usually contain black flecks and spots. The scales are smooth. The pupil is round.

The color pattern of the young is the same as the adults.

Coral snake: Left to right: Top of the head; underside of the head.

Coral snake: Side of head.

Range: The coral snake occurs throughout the entire state including the northern keys. The species extends north to southeastern North Carolina and west to eastern Texas and northeastern Mexico.

Habitat: This snake occupies a variety of habitats, from dry, well-drained flatwoods and scrub areas to low, wet hammocks and the borders of swamps. They are quite secretive and are usually found under debris and in the ground, but occasionally they are found in the open, and have even been seen climbing the trunks of live oaks. Good numbers of them are turned up when pine flatwoods are bulldozed, particularly in south Florida.

Comments: . Because the coral snake is a relative of the cobras, people believe its bite nearly always is fatal. While its bite is serious and should receive immediate medical attention, statistics suggest that the bite of the coral snake is less threatening than the bite of an eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

Coral snakes feed on lizards, other snakes, and frogs.

Comparison with other species: Because they also are banded with red, black, and yellow or white, two harmless snakes in Florida, the scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides) and the scarlet snake (Cemophora cocinnea), often are confused with the coral snake, but it is easy to distinguish between these mimics (look-alikes) and the coral snake. The coral snake has a black nose while both the scarlet kingsnake and the scarlet snake have red noses. Also, on both the coral snake and the scarlet kingsnake the rings go all the way around the body, but not on the scarlet snake which has a white belly. Both the scarlet kingsnake and the scarlet snake are beneficial and should not be harmed

If you have difficulty separating the harmless mimics from the coral snake, the following mnemonic rhyme will identify the coral snake for you:

'If red touches yellow, it can kill a fellow' (coral snake)
'If red touches black, it is a friend of Jack' (scarlet kingsnake or scarlet snake)

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Checklist of Florida Amphibians and Reptiles — Florida Herpetology