Coral and King: Which Snake Kills?
Two different snakes not really all that similar to the trained eye but to the newcomer they’re hard to tell apart.
When newcomers move to Florida to take up residency for the first time they are often astonished to learn how friendly and numerous the native snake population can be. This is especially true if the move is made to suburban or rural areas. It is not uncommon to find one of the slithery creatures on your porch or patio from time to time and occasionally a small one will gain entrance to your house. Most are harmless. Some are not.
image via wikipedia
The coral snake is one of the poisonous varieties the bite of which can prove fatal although not in all instances. An acquaintance, while sitting on a stump cleaning catfish with his bib overalls flaps open at the sides, was bitten by a coral on the upper hip. He spent three days in the hospital with “….the worst headache I ever had in my life.”
image via wikipedia
To the newcomer who has not seen either reptile coming across the harmless king snake causes many to believe they have encountered a deadly coral snake. The result is often the needless dispatching of a beautiful creature that means no harm except to small rodents and large insects. There is a poem (I did not write it) that locals try to teach new residents upon their arrival to help them distinguish between the two varieties of snakes–one poisonous, one not. “Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, friend of Jack.”
image via wikipedia
I’ve evicted more than one of these rascals from my indoors since I’ve lived in Florida. It’s a pigmy rattlesnake. A much smaller version of his cousin, the diamondback rattler, of which we have plenty of, as well. The pigmy has a tiny rattle that can only be heard from a distance of a few feet and his bite is rarely fatal in humans. They can be anywhere. This past July a man retrieving a baby bottle from beneath a shelf in a big box store in St. Augustine was bitten by a pigmy–no doubt brought in with a load of plants to the garden department.
For the most part the larger diamondback is found in fields and swamps and pose danger only to those who haunt those areas. A few years ago I was called to the neighbor lady’s house to rid one from her front porch so her dog could go out and do his business. Some livestock loss is noted but that is caused when the snake is startled. The same with pets. I have had two dogs survived rattlesnake bites and one of two cats. Unless medical treatment is totally unavailable the bite from a diamondback rattler these days should not prove fatal to humans.
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30 Responses to “Coral and King: Which Snake Kills?”
On August 22, 2009 at 5:24 am
Very informative article! Hate snakes!
On August 22, 2009 at 8:11 am
Interesting article.
On August 22, 2009 at 9:20 am
A nature lover at heart i found this was very interesting reading and informative.
On August 22, 2009 at 9:25 am
I am moving to Florida next month. Great information. I need to learn these things that I am unfamiliar with. I lived in Arizona for two years, and had to educate myself of the dangers there at the time also. Thanks for the lesson.
On August 22, 2009 at 10:46 am
On a trip to US in my life time (!) I will think twice before going to Florida especially to its countryside and in case it is inevitable, I will not go there without having the guidance of Mr.Ken.Thanks for sharing.
On August 22, 2009 at 11:38 am
Great information, and good choice of pictures. We have timber rattlers, cotton mouths and copper heads here. One day, a rattler made its way into my daughter’s bedroom. We left it alone, went to the store, and then made LOTS of noise when we came back. We carefully took my daughter’s room apart, making sure it wasn’t hiding out, and then went around stopping up holes that looked like they might let in a snake.
On August 22, 2009 at 2:53 pm
good info and a great read, we were always taught red and black carefully step back, red and yellow your a dead fellow. either way it’s the same info lol thanks for sharing
On August 22, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I live in Florida so I know the difference. I heard it this way,” Red on black come on back, red on yellow will kill a fellow”. You have verses change the more they passed around. We once had a rat snake sitting on the glider on our front porch. Craig walked by without seeing it and it tried to bit him and just missed. It was a little thing and moved on into my garden. I really don’t like snakes.
On August 22, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Wonderfully written,interesting and informative article as always Ken!I couldn’t help but shudder over a few of those photos though.I hate snakes!Your pets are pretty damn tough to survive being bitten by a rattlesnake!
On August 22, 2009 at 5:45 pm
i love all snakes dont know why people dont like them, sandie x.
On August 22, 2009 at 6:07 pm
The only venomous snake we have is the Adder, and that rarely bites! We are so lucky!
On August 22, 2009 at 7:38 pm
I don’t mind snakes usually but a rattle snake, cotton mouth or carol snake stay out of my way. We used to have a den of rat snakes near our back yard and they came out and sunned near the pool. We never saw a rodent around the place.
On August 22, 2009 at 8:56 pm
I know some are deadly. All are to me, I would die of fright. Good info.TX I will stay where I am.
On August 23, 2009 at 3:06 am
Super stuff.. thanks for sharing..
On August 23, 2009 at 4:13 am
Ah, snakes so miss understood, but great article!
On August 23, 2009 at 6:02 am
I’ve always liked snakes. Just not when I find them in my bathtub, that happens sometimes out here. Then we stop being friends. Good article, liked the pictures.
On August 23, 2009 at 8:37 am
Nice.
Back when I raised Australian Bearded Dragon lizards I wanted to get an Arizona Mountain Kingsnake, -like the one in the picture. Didn’t though. I did have a ball python that I named “Julius Squeezer.”
About 10 years ago, in ‘…an effort to repatriate the species in its former range’ so the story goes, an undisclosed number pygmy rattlers were released in the south-western corner of New York state allegedly. I know several people whom personally had seen these rattlers in residential places (parks, etc.) although they may have also come in on loads of topsoil that came from Pennsylvania because there were some rock & landscape projects under way at the time..
I recall a tale that someone stepped out of his pickup truck and was ‘bitten’ on the ankle by a pygmy rattler. Panicked, he got back into the truck and drove himself to the hospital, complaining of rattlesnake bite.
Although they found two small fang-holes, they did not believe that it was really a rattler and delayed treatment. This man died of a heart attack before they determined that yes, it WAS a rattle snake that bit him…
The part of w.New York where I lived, rural and somewhat isolated, was occasionally targeted as a ‘release’ location for black bears caught in N.Y.C. and guess what? -They were a nuisance in the rural towns too (familiar that people/houses are places to seek food and dumpster bins for food, etc.) and had to be either shot & killed, or re-captured and re-located again but in yet another state (presumably hundreds of miles away from villages/towns, etc.)
On August 23, 2009 at 9:14 am
as a resident of FL myself i have seen quite a few snakes on my front or back porch… they have not come in my home as of yet though
On August 23, 2009 at 9:44 am
Informative article on snakes. very impressive pictures
On August 23, 2009 at 9:53 am
A very interesting read. Nice pics too. I LOVED it. Thanks for sharing this wonderful stuff.
On August 23, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Ken
Illuminating!
Zappy
On August 23, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Pretty impressive that you’ve delved further into these snakes. I don’t really know of many reptiles here in England, especially because I live in quite a towny area but still, it’s best to be prepared. This is a really good guide to highlight the difference between two quite similar looking snakes. Good article that kept my attention fixated on it throughout.
On August 24, 2009 at 1:42 am
We have coral and king snakes in Arkansas. I usually just see them slithering across the road in the dead heat of August or September. Thank you for this article. It may help me in deciding whether to run!
On August 24, 2009 at 2:01 am
Thanks for sharing. Always good to know the difference!
On August 24, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Once more you have captivated the audience (even those of us who are not great fans of these creatures). The pictures compliment well the written word. You manage to both educate and entertain, both at the same time. I can only thank you for sharing your knowledge with us all.
Once again you explain in simplistic and non-patronising language, and the reader feels the lesson a joy, not a chore.
Well executed.
Nadine
On August 24, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Snakes are very fascinating to watch from distance, I am very afraid of snakes, but through a glass cage I am fine.
Interesting article very informative.
Thanx
On August 24, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Breath taking beauties, those pics.
I am reminded of the famous snake park in Chennai (India) established by a well known wild life conservationist: Romulus Whittaker.
On August 25, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Ack!
>.<
I hate snakes.
LOL. They’re scary.
On August 26, 2009 at 10:32 am
Very informative. Love it! These creatures are so beautiful, too bad that one can only admire them at a distance. I learned a lot.
On August 26, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Great article, very informative Ken! Be glad that I don’t live in Florida or near you, cause I’ll keep asking you to get rid of the snakes for me! lol
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