Red Touch Yellow?

[guesswho]

Had a snake encounter today at my place in Barbour County Alabama. I was sure it was a Coral snake but the saying I was remembering didn't add up. I was thinking Red touch Yellow, happy fellow. Red touch Black get on back or something like that. I just couldn't remember the actual saying. But I was 99.9% sure what it was since the Red touched the Yellow and it had a Black nose. Anyway when I got home I confirmed on Google that what I saw was indeed a Coral snake. It was about 14-18" long. I hadn't seen one in probably 30 years. Last one I saw was in Avon Park Florida. I thought this would be a little to far North. Have you ever seen any in Georgia or Alabama? And if so how far North?

[hookedspur]

Red touches yellow kill a fellow
Red touches black friendly to jack

[Hoobilly]

only poisonous snakes I have seen were baby rattlers working down in La years ago.. I would pee myself if I was close to some bigguns

ever since I watched that vas tape of duckcommander years ago, you know, the one with Phil blasting a snake with his ruler 10/22.. thats what I would be doing.

[Grumpy]

Snake = boom splat

[ole5beards]

I've only seen 1 coral snake in my life, and it was in California. Back in 98 after I graduated High School, I took a trip to Yosemite National Park, and while hiking one day I ran across a rattle snake that was huge, well over 6ft long. I dang near stepped on him before I saw him, never expected to run across one of those out there. After jumping around doing the heebee geebee dance, I got back on the trail, except this time my eyes were looking! Not too far from where the rattle snake was I saw the coral snake, he was about 3ft long and was gorgeous. I remembered the saying, but I knew immediately what it was, they have black on the tip of their face. All of the ones I've seen on TV always start with black and so did that one. I snapped a few pics and went on my way, and warned every passer by I saw, as we were a long way from any kind of medical attention!

[Johndoe]

Saw two cotton mouths today. Dead. One was right at 4'. Biggest one I have ever seen. A true monster.

[HunterGKS]

Ronnie, Doc is correct.

Red on yellow, kill a fellow (coral)
Red on black, friend of Jack (king)

King snakes will kill & eat venomous snakes & are supposedly immune to their venom.

I spent some time at the Avon Park base when in the AF. There are some BARSs there along with some white collar criminals. Interesting place.

[hawglips]

Here's the range of coral snakes.



This is the closest thing to a coral snake in Yosemite.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Sierra-Mo ... gsnake.htm

[guesswho]

I spent some time at the Avon Park base when in the AF. There are some BARSs there along with some white collar criminals. Interesting place.

I always enjoyed that place. First time we ever went there was in 1965. Hunted there until the early 90's. Really fun place as a kid. Back in the 60's and early 70's you could camp where ever you wanted to. Man that was fun. Back then we camped in Burnt Hammock. Killed my first turkey on the back side of Burnt hammock. I guess you could call it the front side. The river side of it. On the edge of the tree line before the river/canal. If you've ever driven through there you have probably driven within about 10 yards of where I Killed my first one. My old P.S. Olt call is probably buried at that tree somewhere. In the excitement that was the last time I ever remember seeing it. Right before I heard that strange noise "drumming" and turning my head to see what looked like a Volkswagon with the doors open coming right up the road. Man what a rush!

[ole5beards]

Here's the range of coral snakes.



This is the closest thing to a coral snake in Yosemite.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Sierra-Mo ... gsnake.htm

Looks like the one I saw was a long way from home then!

[guesswho]

You sure it was a Micrurus Fulvious?

[FullChoke]

I've only seen 1 coral snake in my life, and it was in California. Back in 98 after I graduated High School, I took a trip to Yosemite National Park, and while hiking one day I ran across a rattle snake that was huge, well over 6ft long. I dang near stepped on him before I saw him, never expected to run across one of those out there. After jumping around doing the heebee geebee dance, I got back on the trail, except this time my eyes were looking! Not too far from where the rattle snake was I saw the coral snake, he was about 3ft long and was gorgeous. I remembered the saying, but I knew immediately what it was, they have black on the tip of their face. All of the ones I've seen on TV always start with black and so did that one. I snapped a few pics and went on my way, and warned every passer by I saw, as we were a long way from any kind of medical attention!

I lived in that area for many years and never heard of coral snakes in the Sierras. What you probably saw was a California Mountain Kingsnake (http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/p ... onata.html) and he may have been there after that rattler. Beautiful snakes indeed.

FC

[HunterGKS]

I spent some time at the Avon Park base when in the AF. There are some BARSs there along with some white collar criminals. Interesting place.

I always enjoyed that place. First time we ever went there was in 1965. Hunted there until the early 90's. Really fun place as a kid. Back in the 60's and early 70's you could camp where ever you wanted to. Man that was fun. Back then we camped in Burnt Hammock. Killed my first turkey on the back side of Burnt hammock. I guess you could call it the front side. The river side of it. On the edge of the tree line before the river/canal. If you've ever driven through there you have probably driven within about 10 yards of where I Killed my first one. My old P.S. Olt call is probably buried at that tree somewhere. In the excitement that was the last time I ever remember seeing it. Right before I heard that strange noise "drumming" and turning my head to see what looked like a Volkswagon with the doors open coming right up the road. Man what a rush!

I was there sometime in '70 or '71. Didn't see any turkeys but the hawgs were everywhere. I got to spend some time with a few of the convicts & talking with them was pretty interesting. They had a heckuva greenhouse & raised orchids that they were allowed to sell. There woodworking shop was also amazing. They had dug a moot creating an island they could go to relax. It had at least 2 gators that they called in by pounding chickens on the bank. Talk about Pavlov's gators!!

[ole5beards]

What if I said while I was out there in Yosemite I had a black tailed buck walk out of the woods and come eat popcorn out of my hand, would you believe me then? If I said it was a king snake then yall would tell me it was a coral snake. This isn't the 1st time I've had someone doubt me and it won't be the last, but I know what I saw. Could be someone owned it illegally and turned it loose, I'm not disputing the range data of a coral snake, however I'm sure they didn't account for every single coral snake on Gods green earth. Although both snakes are similar in color and do resemble there are plenty of differences, the main one that I recognized was the black banding on the snake I saw was much larger than that of any king snake, I know this as I saw it, and at close range. Pythons are non native to South Florida but they are everywhere. So let's agree to disagree and move on.

[guesswho]

I bet he was in your suit case.

[hawglips]

I bet he was in your suit case.

I hear they're they kind of tourists that likes to take a lot of pictures.

[GLS]

There are several myths about coral snakes, especially concerning fang location (myth says in the rear of mouth) and that they can only inject venom by chewing on thin areas of flesh, for instance, between fingers, etc. They have front fangs and must bite and hold on to inject. They also can open their mouths fairly wide and you wouldn't want one striking your bare leg. I've never seen one in the wild, but I live in their range. My closest venomous snake encounter was years ago when I strided over a huge copperhead on a trail in the mountains along a trout stream in NC. Fortunately, I missed stepping on him by inches. I was an hour from my car down a steep trail. The incident put my head in full swivel mode the rest of the trip. Most recently heard bad snake story involved a man I know whose English Cocker was killed by a huge canebrake rattler a week ago. The snake was sitting on a low stone seating area near his back door on the patio. When the man and dog walked outside the back door, the snake hit his dog in the face and there wasn't anything the man could do as the dog died on his way to the vet. (The dog had been previously vaccinated with the Red Rocks vaccine.) October seems to be the month of noticeable snake activity here in the low country of Ga. and SC, especially with rattlers. They never go into full hibernation around here and I've had friend's dogs killed in the winter while bird hunting on balmy days. I pick my days to bird hunt with my dogs.

[HunterGKS]

Coral snakes inject a neurotoxin whereas other venomous US snakes inject a hemotoxin. Also, the fangs of a coral snake are fixed as opposed to being able to be "folded" back into the mouth.

This details how a coral snake delivers its venom.

" Coral snakes’ small, fixed fangs and small mouth mean that it is difficult for them to puncture human skin — let alone leather boots. Humans are mostly bitten when trying to pick up a coral snake. Because of their small size, these snakes don’t carry much venom in their fangs, so they may try to hold onto their victim for some time.

According to Viernum, “One of the most distinctive behavioral characteristics of coral snakes is how they deliver their venom. Since their fangs are short and fixed, they deliver their venom through chewing motions.” She described this process as “similar to the way Gila monsters deliver their venom to prey.”"

http://www.livescience.com/43938-coral- ... facts.html

An interesting read from NatGeo.

"A bite from the notoriously venomous eastern coral snake at first seems anticlimactic. There is little or no pain or swelling at the site of the bite, and other symptoms can be delayed for 12 hours. However, if untreated by antivenin, the neurotoxin begins to disrupt the connections between the brain and the muscles, causing slurred speech, double vision, and muscular paralysis, eventually ending in respiratory or cardiac failure.

This iconic snake, with its bulbous head and red, yellow, and black bands, is famous as much for its potent venom as for the many rhymes—"Red and yellow, kill a fellow; red and black, friend of Jack"—penned to distinguish it from similarly patterned, nonvenomous copycats, such as the scarlet king snake.

Coral snakes are extremely reclusive and generally bite humans only when handled or stepped on. They must literally chew on their victim to inject their venom fully, so most bites to humans don't result in death. In fact, no deaths from coral snake bites have been reported in the U.S. since an antivenin was released in 1967.

Eastern coral snakes are relatives of the cobra, mamba, and sea snake. They live in the wooded, sandy, and marshy areas of the southeastern United States, and spend most of their lives burrowed underground or in leaf piles.

They eat lizards, frogs, and smaller snakes, including other coral snakes. Baby snakes emerge from their eggs 7 inches (17.8 centimeters) long and fully venomous. Adults reach about 2 feet (0.6 meters) in length. Average lifespan in the wild is unknown, but they can live up to seven years in captivity."

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/a ... ral-snake/

[davisd9]

Been a bunch of timbers on the move in the midlands of SC. Never seen a coral in the wild but they are a beautiful creature for sure.


Sent from the Strut Zone

[Hambone79]

Not a coral snake but these are the ones I encounter the most around me. Saw a pigmy rattler last night. with all the rain they are pushing out of the woods around the houses.

[guesswho]

I've seen some big Diamondbacks when I was growing up in Central Florida. Biggest I've personally seen was pushing 8 feet.

[GLS]

Five minute video on coral snake bites. Note the lack of chewing when the snake is being "milked" for venom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScJ0rRvcP7g

[WoodMoose]

Been a bunch of timbers on the move in the midlands of SC. Never seen a coral in the wild but they are a beautiful creature for sure.


Sent from the Strut Zone

yes they are,,,,hadn't seen a rattler all summer and then I seen two last week in one day,,,,this was down in Marion county,.

[KPcalls]

We have them in my part of Louisiana known as the Florida parishes, but I've never seen one. I did catch a Louisiana milk snake once that has the same color pattern but in a different order.