King Snakes Vs Coral Snakes

Differences between Coral Snakes & Kingsnakes

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The nonvenomous California mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) and the cherry-red kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides) are two species often confused for the deadly eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius). These three doppelgangers share similarly colored banding and habitats; fortunately, a handful of physical and behavioral characteristics set these serpents apart.

Coloring

All iii species share variegated red, black and yellow banding. The easiest way to differentiate kingsnakes from coral snakes is past looking at their coloring: coral snakes have yellow and blood-red bands that touch each other, while black bands always carve up the yellow and ruby-red bands on kingsnakes. The well-known rhyme, "ruddy touches yellow, kill a fellow; cerise touches black, friend of Jack" is used to differentiate coral snakes and lookalike kingsnakes.

Snout

Kingsnakes accept elongated snouts that come up to a rounded signal. The scarlet kingsnake has a carmine snout while the California mountain kingsnake has either an all-black snout or a black-and-yellowish snout. Coral snakes have shortened, very rounded, edgeless snouts that are ever black in color.

Toxicity

Coral snakes are members of the venomous Elapidae family, which includes cobras and mambas. A coral snake bite injects neurotoxic venom that causes slurred speech, double vision, muscle paralysis, respiratory and cardiac failure and eventual expiry if the victim doesn't get medical attention. Luckily, coral snakes rarely bite humans: the U.s.a. has non reported an eastern coral snake–related death since the 1960s. Kingsnakes are harmless, nonvenomous snakes popular every bit household pets.

Behavior

Both coral snakes and kingsnakes are largely diurnal and prefer to spend the daytime hours underground in caves and crevices and underneath logs and leaves. Even so, while coral snakes rarely climb shrubs or copse, kingsnakes are adept climbers. Coral snakes too display unique defensive behavior: they swing and move their tails to mimic their heads in an try to confuse predators. Kingsnakes exercise not display such defensive behavior. They are some of the "kings" of the serpent world, frequently killing and feeding on other larger venomous snakes like rattlesnakes and copperheads.

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