Photograph taken by ScienceNrrd on 8.11.09
Click on photo to enlarge
I remember the time I was bitten by a copperhead. Thinking the snake was dead, I nudged it with my foot as it lay on our driveway, basking in the hot Texas sun. The snake moved slightly. Intrigued, I knelt down to get a closer look at it. Thirty minutes later, I was in the hospital. I survived the bite, and gained an immediate and immense respect for snakes.
I came across this snake (pictured above) a few months ago, and knew immediately that it was a Texas Coral Snake, one of four venomous species in Texas, and one of two major coral subspecies in the United States, most of which reside in southern and southeastern areas of the country. Coral snakes are venomous snakes which can be identified by their bright red, yellow, and black bands. They are often confused with Kingsnakes or Milk snakes, harmless copycat snakes which have similar banding. Learning the different types of snakes, their habits, and how to deal with a bite can be very important in areas where encountering one is not unlikely. A trick to identifying a coral snake vs. a copycat snake is this mnemonic device: Red and yellow kills a fellow; red and black, you're alright, Jack. With coral snakes, the red and yellow bands always touch; the red and black bands do not. With copycats, the opposite is true (this is generally true with most corals, although not with certain corals of Central America).
The coral snake, Micrurus fulvius, belongs to the family Elapidae, which also includes the mamba, cobra, sea snake, and taipan. Corals are smaller snakes, growing up to two and a half feet in length. They are diurnal (active during the day), and favor leaf piles and rotting wood in dense forests or sandy, marshy areas. Their diet consists of lizards, small bird eggs, frogs, and smaller snakes. Baby corals hatch at 7” long, and are fully venomous. They are generally shy, reclusive snakes, and will not bite unless provoked – as was my copperhead friend, whose bite was certainly justified!
The venom of a coral snake is a neurotoxin, meaning that it attacks the nervous system. Quick treatment is important, as after 8-10 hours, antivenin (“antivenom”) is ineffective. Because it is possible for symptoms to show up as much as 12 hours after a bite, it is necessary to assume that envonomation has occurred with any bite. When bitten by any poisonous snake, it is important to remain calm, as this will slow the spread of venom and onset of shock. Keep the bite area below the heart, and wash the area and remove any tight-fitting clothing or jewelry. Never take aspirin or alcohol, as this will speed the spread of the venom, and never use a tourniquet or slice the skin to suck out the venom; these outdated methods are highly dangerous. Try to ID the snake or look for distinguishing markings, if possible.
Although coral venom can be highly dangerous, fewer than 1% of snake bites in the US are from corals, and there has been only one reported death (2009) due to coral venom in over forty years, since coral antivenin became available. Contributing to the high rate of survival is the snake's size and means of venom delivery. Corals have small heads and mouths, and their fangs are a mere 1/8” long, so in order to inject enough venom into a human to cause death, the snake would have to chew on it's victim repeatedly. Still, the best thing to do if you encounter one is to admire its beauty from a distance. Take a picture.
This is great common sense advice I did not heed when I was seventeen. As I stared over it with interest, the ophidian creature flung its lithe body onto my hand, which hung lifelessly over my bent knees. The solenoglyphous fangs punctured my skin, and I flung my arm wildly in an attempt to rid myself of the intense pain. But the snake clung tightly, injecting more of its venom with each shake of my hand.
Rejecting a neighbors...kind offer to apply a tourniquet and suck out the venom, I ran away to show off my cool snake bite, holding my hand up for everyone to see. I spent the next four days in the hospital with my hand and arm swollen from the tip of my middle finger, the site of the bite, all the way up to my armpit. Drifting in and out of consciousness, I seemed to awaken at poignant times – to the doctor telling my mother that my arm was swelling too rapidly, and that if it didn't slow down, I might lose my finger. Then, that the swelling was slowing down, but not enough, and they might have to cut my finger open to relieve pressure. Each time, I fell asleep as soon as I heard these bits of frightening information, the doctor's voice trailing off in a venom and drug induced haze. I'd awaken periodically, checking frantically to see if my hand was still intact, or if I had been transformed into Mickey Mouse's right-hand girl. At one point, a doctor came into my room and blew up a latex glove. Holding it up next to my hand, we both stared in amazement as my hand, skin stretched more tightly than seemingly possible, dwarfed the balloon. Had the skin on my hand burst open like an overripe tomato, I think neither of us would have been shocked. As scary as it was, once I was out of danger, I realized that I had become irreversibly enamored of snakes.
I was very, very lucky, as I did several major things one should not do after a snake bite. On the other hand, being seventeen, I was still invincible and so had no problem remaining calm. And en route to the hospital with no one to show my bite, I remembered my education and kept my arm down.
Can you tell which is the coral snake and which is the milk snake?
1
2
2Try to figure it out before you look!
...
The snake on the left is the coral snake: 'red and yellow kills a fellow'
The snake on the right is the milk snake: 'red and black, you're alright, Jack'
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Sources:
4- Neutralization of two North American coral snake venoms with United States and Mexican antivenoms. By: Sánchez, Elda E.; Lopez-Johnston, Juan C.; Rodríguez-Acosta, Alexis; Pérez, John C.. Toxicon, Feb2008, Vol. 51 Issue 2, p297-303.
5- Death following coral snake bite in the United States – First documented case (with ELISA confirmation of envenomation) in over 40 years. By: Norris, Robert L.; Pfalzgraf, Robert R.; Laing, Gavin. Toxicon, May2009, Vol. 53 Issue 6, p693-697.
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