βΉ Compare two snakes
Texas Coralsnake vs Western Milksnake
Tap a part to see it on both. Tap it again to turn it off.
Nick Loveland, no rights reserved
Texas Coralsnake
Micrurus tener
Venomous(c) Aiva Noringseth, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Western Milksnake
Lampropeltis gentilis
Non-venomousThe quick way to tell
Look at which colors touch. On the Western Milksnake, each red band is edged in black, so red touches black. On the Texas Coralsnake, red touches yellow, and the snout is black.
Pattern β
This settles it
Rings around the body: red, yellow, black - red touches yellow, with black flecks.
Red or orange bands or saddles, each bordered by black, with white or pale bands in between. The bands may reach onto the belly, which is white with black marks.
Head
Small blunt head with a solidly black snout and no distinct neck.
Small head, not much wider than the neck. The head may be black with a whitish snout, or red with a few black marks and a white snout.
Eyes
Very small black eyes, round pupils; no heat-sensing pit.
Small eyes with round pupils.
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, ringed black and yellow.
Short and thin, and keeps the same red, black and white banding as the body.
What it does
Secretive; hides its head rather than defending itself.
Usually calm when handled, but may shake its tail or strike when disturbed. Spends much of its time hidden under rocks or underground.
Where it lives
Central, southern and eastern Texas, western Louisiana and southwestern Arkansas, south into northeastern Mexico.
The Great Plains and western US: from Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma west to Arizona and Utah, and north to Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota. Also reaches northern Mexico.