Identifying North Carolina's Venomous Snakes Part 4: Coral Snakes

At one point in time of your life, you may have heard of the poem "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow. Red touch black, friend of jack." Well, this is the snake it was talking about. If you look closely, you will see *Red bands touching the yellow bands which is a big clue in identifying an Eastern Coral Snake. I will note that this poem ONLY applies in America. In the Latin Americas, Asia, and wherever else coral snakes are found, they can be other patterns and colors. They can even be the " red touch black, friend of jack" so, I would not approach a brightly colored snake if you are in another country and do not know your snakes very well* In addition to the bands, Eastern Coral Snakes also have a *black face, which is another clue in identifying it.* In regards to the eyes, yes they do have round pupils, unlike the other venomous snakes in NC, but I would not consider that a good clue to go with if you are looking at the snake from a distance.  

Coral Snake. Photo from Internet. 

Eastern Coral Snakes' habitats are according to Peterson Field Guide: Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern/Central North America written by Roger Conant and Joseph T. Collins " ...pine woods, and open, dry, or sandy areas...pond and lake borders and in hammocks." They do also like places with wiregrass.

Coral snakes eat a variety of things though they seem to mainly go for other snakes and lizards.

Coral Snakes are of course, venomous, and they have neurotoxin venom which attacks the nervous system.  A bite from these snakes can be very serious, so one should seek medical attention if bitten by one. However, bites from these guys, especially here in NC, are quite rare.

Coral Snake Range in NC. Photo from herpsofnc.org

In North Carolina, Coral Snakes are rare and are listed as Endangered. I am not really sure why Coral Snakes are endangered, but they are super secretive and spend a lot of time underground. That may be why they are not seen very often. There is still much to be learned about these snakes.



Coral Snake. Photo from Internet.
















So now that we have learned a little bit about the coral snake, lets learn about the 2 snakes it is often said mimics the coral snake:



First up is the Scarlet Kingsnake. 

Photo from Internet.

             

As you can see by the photo, it would be easy to confuse this snake with a coral; bright red colors and all. If you remember from early on in this blog, I talked about the face of the coral snake being black, well, if you look closely you will see that *Scarlet Kingsnakes have quite a bit of red coloration on their faces. That is a clue in identifying them, though you have to get somewhat close* They are the "red touch black, friend of jack." *Their red bands touch their black bands*  

I will note here that *The poem only works for North America Coral Snakes. Many coral snakes outside of the US will sometimes have the red touch black. Do not go by the poem outside the US*

Scarlet Kingsnakes are according to Snakes of the Southeast by Whit Gibbons and Mike Dorcas, "most abundant in forests, where they often hide beneath loose bark of dead trees, especially pines."

As the name might make you think of kingsnakes that eat other snakes, these guys will eat other small snakes. They will eat lizards as well as small rodents if the opportunity presents itself in addition to the other snakes.   

In regards to the whereabouts of these snakes in NC, they are found primarily in the Coastal Plain and Sandhills, but have been found in the Piedmont, though they are quite rare. 

Scarlet Kingsnake Range in NC.  Photo from herpsofnc.org

 

Me with a Scarlet Kingsnake

Photo by ME

The other snake that mimics the coral snake is the Scarlet Snake. These snakes can be identified by the * "red blotches enclosed in black margins and separated by white, yellow, or pale gray interspaces." Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virgina. * So, they are rather distinctive snakes.  Again, if you look closely, the scarlet snake has a * a good deal of red on the face*. 

Scarlet Snake. Photo from Internet.

These snakes typically are found in sandy habitats and sandy areas with pine trees, where they like to burrow. The term for snakes that like to dig and burrow is fossorial. Snakes Of The Southeast.  

Scarlet snakes eat primarily other, small reptiles and amphibians; in particular the eggs. The neat fact is that these little guys will constriction to subdue live prey!   In regards to the range on Scarlet Snakes in NC, they are found in the Coastal plain, Sandhills, and even in the Piedmont regions.

Photo from Internet

NC range of Scarlet Snake. Photo from herpsofnc.org

Ok, now that we have learned a little bit about these guys, I first would like to encourage you guys and gals to go and learn more about them and about mimicry. Which is an animal that looks like another. It is interesting! The next thing I am going to do, is test you and see if you can identify the venomous coral snake among the 2 nonvenomous mimics. (No peeking!)

Photo from Internet.

Photo from Internet.

Photo from herpsofnc.org

So, I hope you have learned something about these unique and quite beautiful snakes. I would encourage you to go and learn more about them as they are very cool animals. Again feel free to ask me any questions you might have.