Critter of the Month Texas Coral Snake Micrurus tener   One of the dubious benefits of having a good working relationship with the local animal control folks is that they occasionally come up with something fun and exciting. You know, a non-dog, non-cat kind of critter. This happened once when the head of animal control called asking if we could take a coral snake.  We, of course, said yes. The Texas coral snake can be identified easily enough, which is a fairly important thing to know should you ever run into one.  First, there are cute little poems, like “red touches yellow, kill a fellow…” referring to the fact that the red and yellow bands are in contact on coral snakes (in the U.S. only, however. There are no poems that work for the variety of coral snakes in Latin America.)  Perhaps the easiest way to distinguish a coral snake from harmless milksnakes that look similar is that every other band is yellow on the coral snake.  [Safety tip: Even if you think you can remember one of the little identification poems, don’t pick up any snakes that look remotely like a coral snake.]   The Texas coral snake has an extremely potent neurotoxin that paralyzes its prey (primarily lizards and other snakes). Drop for drop, its venom is as potent as any other snake in the U.S.  However, its docile nature and the low chance of being encountered mean that almost no bites are reported.   The Texas coral snake, recently achieving its own species status, has cousins to the east, west, and especially south. There is an eastern coral snake in the southeast U.S., an Arizona coral snake (in Arizona, of course), and several dozen species native to Latin America.  Our Texas version is found primarily over the southern half of Texas with extensions up the Brazos and Trinity River watersheds. Interestingly enough, this lands it in both Dallas and Tarrant counties (see map).   It is seldom seen due to its secretive nature.  The Texas coral snake prefers river bottoms and rocky habitats.  And even though it is diurnal (active during the daytime), it is also fossorial, living underground, in rotten logs, in leaf litter, or in rock crevices.  When encountered, this small (2-3’) snake will first try to escape. Failing that, it may make twitching movements and even “strike” with its tail while simultaneously protecting its head. Of course, it can skip all this and just go ahead and take a shot at you. And the fact that coral snake antivenin has not been produced in the U.S. since 2006 is just another reason for extreme caution.    If you should be lucky enough to stumble upon one of these gorgeous creatures, as always, leave it alone. It is part of nature, and nature needs all of its parts to function properly. However, if it should be swimming in your pool, for instance, call Animal Control. They’ll know what to do.

Texas coral snake from the DFW area