Coral Snake
Micrurus fulvius · Eastern & Texas Coral Snake
Rarely seen, rarely bites, and carries the most potent venom of any snake native to North America. A rhyme won’t save you if you get the colors wrong — here is how to actually be sure.
How to Recognize a Coral Snake
Adults typically run 20–30 in, occasionally reaching up to about 4 ft. A slender, smooth-scaled snake, roughly pencil-thick, very different in build from any pit viper on this site.
Red Touches Yellow
The order of the bands is what matters, not just the colors. On a US coral snake, red bands touch yellow bands. On harmless lookalikes like the scarlet kingsnake, red touches black instead — the old rhyme "red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, venom lack" describes this correctly for North America, though it does not hold everywhere in the world.
A Round Head, Not Triangular
Unlike every pit viper on this site, a coral snake has a small, rounded head with round pupils and no heat-sensing pits — it belongs to the same family as cobras, not rattlesnakes. This alone rules out a pit-viper identification.
Secretive by Nature
Spends most of its time underground or under leaf litter and debris. Bites are genuinely uncommon, not because the snake is harmless, but because it is rarely encountered at all.
Two different snakes share the name. The Eastern and Texas coral snakes covered here belong to the genus Micrurus and are found across the Southeast and into Texas. A separate, smaller species, the Arizona Coral Snake, belongs to a different genus entirely and is found only in the desert Southwest — the two are not the same animal despite the shared common name.
Where It Lives
The Eastern Coral Snake is found throughout Florida and across the coastal Southeast, while the closely related Texas Coral Snake covers most of Texas. Together they span the wooded, sandy, and marshy areas of the southern US.
Spends most of its life underground, under leaf litter, or beneath logs and debris — it surfaces most often after rain or during its spring and fall breeding seasons, which is when most sightings and the rare bite actually happen.
Rare Bites, Serious Venom
Neurotoxic, Not Local
Unlike the pit vipers on this site, coral snake venom is primarily neurotoxic — it affects nerve signaling rather than causing local tissue damage. This is also why symptoms can be dangerously delayed, sometimes 6 to 12 hours after a bite that may not have hurt much at first.
Fixed, Short Fangs
Coral snakes have small, fixed fangs and tend to bite and hold on rather than strike-and-release like a pit viper. Around 40% of bites are estimated to be “dry,” injecting no venom at all, and the short fangs generally cannot penetrate boot leather or thick gaiter material.
Antivenom: Available, Not Discontinued
An FDA-approved antivenom (North American Coral Snake Antivenin) exists specifically for Eastern and Texas coral snake bites. Its manufacturer paused production in 2003, which caused a real, well-documented shortage for several years — but production has since resumed, and the antivenom is an approved treatment option today. If you or someone with you is bitten, get to emergency care immediately; do not assume treatment is unavailable.
Common Questions
Yes. The manufacturer paused production in 2003, which caused a real, well-documented shortage for several years, but production has since resumed. An FDA-approved antivenom exists today for Eastern and Texas coral snake bites — get to emergency care immediately if bitten rather than assuming treatment is unavailable.
Working or Hiking Coral Snake Country?
Its short, fixed fangs generally can’t get through real boot leather or thick gaiter material — ordinary lower-leg coverage already does most of the work.
Best Snake Boots
Full lower-leg coverage, toe to calf.
Back to Big Four Overview
Compare against rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths.