CRIKEY!!!!Coral snake!

F

Firestopper

Forum Guest
Register Today
Found this little fellow in our back yard! Wife was taking the dogs out for a potty break when she noticed it.
I recognized it right away as a coral and released it away from the yard and more importantly our dogs.
This is the second coral snake I've seen in the "wild", both of which have been on our property. Kinda cool really.
IMG_1634.JPG IMG_1633.JPG
The yellow was washed a bit with the porch light.

Peace,
Paco
 
Depends on the species, "red and yellow will kill a fellow". Like all the rest of us, they have a place in the scheme of things. Sounds like you handled it well Paco. Out our way we just have prairie rattler's, but you still treat them with respect. Mike
 
The coral snake is the second most venomous snake known to man behind the Black mamba but they are very small and its almost impossible for them to bite given the size of their head. They have bitten people between the fingers (webs) and toes. Their fangs are short and weak for the most part but care should be taken when handling them. A dog could be easily bitten on their soft tongue though. Here's a link for some good reading. http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_coral_snake.php
In the first photo you can clearly see the black head past the eyes and the bands encircled the body.
I have dispatched several (a lot) diamond back rattlesnakes over the years around the property and inside my garage but these guys deserve a second chance as rare as they are.
 
Over here in the river bottoms of Texas and along the Gulf coast to Florida, They get up to about 3 foot long and big around as your thumb! When we lived over by Conroe, Texas years back, we had a cat that killed one that measured 25" long. Yuck!

Edit: That's a different coral snake from that we have in our state. Interested article. Thanks for sharing.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I had the dog out for a walk last year up in the mountains. I stopped to look for my lens cap and heard a noise. The dog was about 20 feet ahead of me on a narrow path. I didn't recognize the sound - thought it was an insect - and then saw the dog looking at a 3' timber rattlesnake coiled on a rock next to the path. Luckily he's afraid of his own shadow and has a good recall. The garter snake bite on his nose earlier in the year might have helped also.
 
I assume that your wife took the pictures. Kudos to her for having the fortitude to come that close and hold that steady. Many (most?) would not.
 
That coral snake sure is pretty.

Prairie rattlers here in the Kansas prairies - naturally! :rolleyes:
Short fat and ugly. But on the positive side they are ill tempered, mean and can inject huge amounts of potent venom in each bite.
 
Back
Top