‹ Compare two snakes
Eastern Coralsnake vs Scarlet Kingsnake
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(c) Court Harding, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Eastern Coralsnake
Micrurus fulvius
VenomousLyn Roueche, no rights reserved
Scarlet Kingsnake
Lampropeltis elapsoides
Non-venomousThe quick way to tell
Red touches yellow on the coralsnake, and its snout is solid black. On the Scarlet Kingsnake red touches black, and the snout is red.
Pattern ★ This settles it
Glossy rings right around the body: red, yellow, black, yellow, red - red touching yellow.
Red, black and yellow bands with red touching black; bands break on the belly.
Head
Small blunt head with a solidly black snout and no distinct neck.
Small head with a red snout, barely wider than the neck.
Eyes
Very small black eyes, round pupils; no heat-sensing pit.
Round pupil, small dark eye on a red snout; no heat-sensing pit.
Pits
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
Tail
Short, with black and yellow rings and no red.
Short and banded; no rattle.
What it does
Hides its head and waves its curled tail; rarely bites.
Burrows under bark and litter; almost never bites.
Where it lives
Southeast coastal plain: southeastern North Carolina through South Carolina, Georgia, all of Florida, and west to Alabama, Mississippi and eastern Louisiana.
Southeast: Virginia south through Florida and west to eastern Louisiana, Tennessee and southern Kentucky.