#micruroides

[atarahderek]

A more legible version of my RYB infograph on identifying coral snakes.

www.wsed.org

[herpskeepers]

Herp of the day: Sonoran Coral Snake

The Sonoran Coral Snake (Micruroides euryxanthus), also known as Arizona coral snake, is a venomous species found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

In the wild, this desert species feeds primarily on other snakes and small lizards. Adults are 11–24 inches (280–610 mm) in total length (including tail), females may lay up to 3 eggs, and the hatchlings are 18–20 cm (7-8 inches) in total length.

[atarahderek]

Here’s the link to the full size version.

There's some work that can still be done on this, and I may go back and clean it up a little bit more (mostly adding shading and highlights). But for now, I just wanted to get it DONE. One of the greatest pet peeves of herpetologists and ophidiophiles everywhere is the infamous red-yellow-black rhyme often used to distinguish coral snakes from other, non-venomous species. As someone who is tired of rehashing the same information over and over again, I decided to compile all of it into a handy little infograph, illustrated for your convenience and entertainment.

[libutron]

Sonoran Coral Snake - Micruroides euryxanthus

Also known as Western Coral Snake, Micruroides euryxanthus (Elapidae) is a small (up to 615 mm in total length), slender, brightly-colored snake. it is easily recognized by its black head and snout, and by the red, yellow or cream, and black rings that completely encircle the body. The red bands touch the yellow or cream bands. 

This snake occurs in the United States (northwestern and central Arizona, and extreme southwestern New Mexico) and Mexico (Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Isla Tiburón in the Gulf of California). 

The Sonoran Coral Snake is highly venomous, but it is not particularly dangerous to humans because its small mouth and short fangs are inefficient for injecting enough venom into large surfaces.

References: [1] - [2] - [3]

Photo credit: ©Chuck Brown | Locality: Arizona Desert, US (2014)