Western Coral Snake
Western Coral Snake ~ Micruroides euryxanthus
Genus: Micruroides
Species: euryxanthus
Adult body length: 20 - 30 inches
Body length at birth: 6 - 8 inches
Breeding period: June - August
Young per year: 2 - 3 young per year
Typical foods: Insects, lizards, and other snakes
Habitat: mostly rocky areas
Can be found: from the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northern Mexico, to the southwest of Mexico
Short description: no neck, rounded head, smooth scales, slender, rounded pupils
General description:
The Western Coral Snake, also known as the Arizona
Coral Snake, is a highly venomous snake. Its toxic
venom can cause paralysis and respiratory failure.
The Western Coral Snake is a small colorful snake.
It has corresponding black, yellow, and red rings,
with the red rings touching the yellow rings. Like the
Eastern Coral Snake, it has a black head. It can easily
be confused with the scarlet king snake, for it is sort of
similar in pattern. Help for discerning these snakes, are
two rhymes as written:
Red on Yellow, Kill a Fellow,
Red on Black, Venom Lack.
If its head is black,
Get Back!
______Coral Snake_____________Scarlet Kingsnake_____
September 13 2007 12:43 am
Christopher Wilson on 23 Jul 2008 at 5:21 pm #
Is the coral snake a live-bearer or does it produce eggs?
jcbiggar1 on 27 Aug 2008 at 2:51 pm #
The coral snake is an egg laying snake. It produces about 2 - 3 eggs during the summer.