There are four different basic species of venomous snakes which live in the United States. The Coral snake, on average is the smallest of any of these species. Although small in size, the Coral snake is by far the most venomous snake native to North America. More than five times more venomous than its closest competitor the Coral snake’s bite, while rare can most certainly be fatal.
The Coral snake’s habitat is primarily in Texas, Louisiana, and southern Arkansas. It can also be found in other southern states in the southeast and southwest. A Coral snake will spend the majority of its life submerged below layers of dry leaves or in loose dirt. It will also be found along shallow waterways which are surrounded by dense vegetation. It will only come out in the open during mating season or during extremely wet conditions. Coral snakes are generally non-aggressive and will gladly retreat from any contact with humans.
The markings of a Coral snake are very unique, but are sometimes confused with other snakes including king snakes and a milk snake. The bands around the Coral snake alternate between red, yellow and black. It is important to remember that only a Coral snake will have the red and yellow bands adjacent to one another. Remember the saying “Red and yellow, kill a fellow”. Others snakes will have very similar banding but none will have the red and yellow bands adjacent. Unlike other venomous snakes the Coral snakes head will not be triangular in shape.
Coral snake fangs are very short, which makes them unlikely to penetrate thick clothing of footwear. The Coral snake actually needs to hold on to its victim longer than other venomous snakes in order to inject its victim. When injected however, the venom is very potent and any bite must be treated as a medical emergency. As with most snake bite victims, each person will react differently to the venom. Some will be more susceptible to the poison than others. In most cases the people who have the most to fear are small children or individuals who have other health conditions which can be aggravated by the venom of the Coral snake.
While very few humans are bitten by Coral snakes the threat is about to become more serious. The danger is not from more snakes, but rather a shortage of the anti-venom medication used to treat bite victims. Due to the small number of victims, the anti-venom medication for the Coral snake is no longer being produced. The cost to produce the anti-venom was so high the domestic producer received permission to stop manufacturing the drug. Supplies in the United States are expected to run out sometime in late 2010. Foreign drug companies are attempting to produce the anti-venom for the Coral snake but thus far have not received approval to market the drug in the United States.
