Eastern Coral Snake
Here we have an Eastern Coral Snake, captured 10.22.2005 in an Orlando FL garage. This is an average sized specimen, at about 24". This is one of Central Florida's four
venomous species of snake, but unlike the pit vipers (rattlesnakes, cottonmouth) the Coral Snake is a member of the family Elapidae, which includes the Cobras, Mambas, & Sea
Snakes. It possesses an extremely potent neurotoxic venom which typically causes paralysis of breathing, and can be fatal to people. However, it is small and timid, so bites
are rare.
You may have heard the old rhyme to help differentiate the lethal Coral Snake from lookalike copycats like the Scarlet King Snake. The rhyme goes, "Red touch yellow, kills
a fellow. Red touch black, friend of Jack". As you can see, red is touching yellow. Luckily, neither fellow (me nor the snake) was killed.
Some people also look at the nose: the Coral Snake has a black nose, whereas the copycats don't. This is a very nice photo of the Coral Snake's head.
I was rather pleased to finally capture the elusive Eastern Coral Snake. Like most venomous species, it is rare here in Orlando. It also tends to spend time under
heavy debris, so it is rarely seen.
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