Linda Ambrose, age 11, of Baton Rouge, La., for her question:
IS THE CORAL SNARE REALLY POISONOUS?
Coral snake is a name given to several closely related snakes that you'll find in the Western Hemisphere. The coral snake is definitely poisonous.
You'll find coral snakes in the southern part of the United States and also in Mexico, Central America and tropical South America. The snakes have small, blunt heads and bodies. There are about 40 species living in the Western Hemisphere.
Coral snakes do not strike as most other snakes do, but they bite. They are dangerous if stepped on or handled.
The eastern coral snake is sometimes called the harlequin. It generally ranges from 20 to 40 inches in length. You'll find it living in the southeastern United States and in extreme northeastern Mexico.
The eastern coral snake's body is encircled by broad black and red bands separated by narrow yellow ones. The snake has a black snout. Just behind the snout is a wide yellow band followed by black band. Some of the snakes are covered with black spots that hide much of the red color.
Some nonpoisonous snakes that look like coral snakes can be found in the southeastern part of the United States. The harmless snakes have red and black bands together. The poisonous coral snakes have red and yellow bands next to each other.
The western or Arizona coral snake is about 18 inches long. It lives in the lower parts of southern Arizona, the southwestern part of New Mexico and in northern Mexico. It also has a black snout but behind the snout is a white or yellow band followed by a red band.
The South American coral snake is about four feet long. Its body is made up of circles of bright red separated by rings of dark purple. There are two narrow circles of light yellow in each of the purple ones.
The South American coral snake has scales that are shiny and polished. This snake also has a red snout rather than black one. Behind the snout are a black band and a broad red band.
Coral snakes belong to the genus Micrurus of the family Elapidae, which also includes the deadly cobra snake.
The eastern coral snake is found from Florida to the Carolinas and west to Texas and Mexico. It is quite a common snake but is rarely seen since it generally comes out only at night. Most of the time it stays underground or under logs, stones or in dense undergrowth.
The main food of the coral snake is other snakes and lizards.
As in the cobra, there is only a single tooth, the poison fang, on the maxillary bone. The fangs are small and are rarely used to bite humans.