Buzz
If you're wondering how to distinguish between the venomous coral snake and the non-venomous king snake, which look quite similar, you're not alone. Both species feature black, red, and yellow stripes, making it difficult to tell them apart in the wild. If you encounter these snakes in North America, this guide will help you identify their differences.
Steps
Look at the snake's color pattern
Examine the snake's banding pattern. Check if the red and yellow bands are adjacent. If they are, it's a venomous coral snake. This is the simplest way to tell apart a king snake from a coral snake.
- The coral snake has a repeating color pattern of red, black, yellow, and red bands.
- The king snake’s pattern follows the order of red, black, yellow, black, red, and sometimes blue.
The snake's tail color: black or yellow? Coral snakes have black and yellow bands on their tails, but no red. In contrast, king snakes have a full range of colors on their tails, with the color pattern continuing along the entire length of their body.
Examine the color and shape of the head. Check if the snake's head is yellow-black or red-black. Coral snake heads are black with a short snout, while king snakes have a reddish head with a longer snout.
Learn the rhyme to remember the differences between the two species. People living in areas with both snake species have created rhymes to help remember their characteristics:
- Red stripes, yellow stripes, death's in sight. Black stripes, red stripes, a friendly sight.
- Red stripes, yellow stripes, death's in sight. Black stripes, red stripes, gentle like a bunny.
- Red red, yellow yellow, bad news indeed. Black black, red red, a small matter.
- Yellow yellow, red red, stay away, bye-bye. Red red, black black, let's enjoy some ice cream.
- Black yellow, life’s done. Black red, a friend to everyone.
Remember, these methods apply only to snakes in the U.S. The identification techniques in this article only apply to native North American species: Micrurus fulvius (Eastern Coral Snake), Micrurus tener (Texas Coral Snake), and Micruroides euryxanthus (Arizona Coral Snake), found in the southern and western U.S.
- Unfortunately, in other parts of the world, the banding patterns of these species may differ, and it cannot be assumed whether the snake is venomous without confirming its exact identity.
- This means the rhyme cannot be applied to coral snakes found elsewhere, nor to similar species.
Behavioral Differences
Be cautious with logs and leaf piles. Both coral snakes and king snakes prefer to hide under logs or piles of leaves for hours. They are also found in caves and rock crevices. Be extra careful when lifting rocks or logs or when entering underground areas.
Look for a king snake in trees. If you spot a brightly colored snake with bands climbing a tree, it's likely a non-venomous king snake. Coral snakes rarely climb trees. Always double-check to ensure it’s not a coral snake—keeping a safe distance is the best option.
Check for defensive behavior. When threatened, coral snakes will move their head and tail back and forth to confuse their attacker. King snakes do not display this behavior. If you see a snake shaking its tail and head unusually, it's probably a coral snake—back off immediately.
- Coral snakes are reclusive and rarely encountered in the wild. They only attack when they feel truly threatened, so if you see one exhibiting this behavior, you still have time to retreat.
- King snakes are named for their ability to eat other snakes, including venomous ones. They don’t display this defensive behavior, though they may hiss and shake their tail like a rattlesnake at times.
Observe the typical bite pattern. To inject venom, coral snakes must bite and chew their prey. Since you can often knock the snake away before it injects venom, human fatalities from coral snake bites are rare. However, without prompt treatment, coral snake venom can cause cardiac arrest and death.
- The bite of a coral snake doesn’t hurt much initially. However, once the venom takes effect, the victim will experience slurred speech, dizziness, and paralysis. Even if you don’t feel pain, call for emergency medical help right away.
- If bitten by a coral snake, stay calm, remove tight clothing and jewelry, and seek immediate medical assistance.
Advice
- One reliable way to confirm whether it’s a venomous coral snake, despite slight color variations, is by checking its head shape. Coral snakes have a thick head with a black stripe that extends across both eyes, usually with two colors on the head.
- Both coral snakes and red king snakes are found in the southeastern United States, ranging from North Carolina to southern Florida.
- The tail of a coral snake features only black and yellow bands with no red. On the other hand, the non-venomous king snake has color bands that extend along the full length of its body.
Warning
- Be cautious when working, walking, or resting in areas where snakes are known to live.
- Coral snakes are highly venomous—stay far away from them.
- While the red king snake is non-venomous, its bite can still be painful.
- This rule does not apply to all coral snake subspecies, such as Micrurus frontali, which has red, black, yellow, black, yellow, black, and red bands. For these species, the red band next to the black means it’s extremely venomous. A victim bitten by this type of coral snake will experience paralysis within 5 minutes and may die within an hour.
