Coral snakes care
Coral snakes are very rare and attractive type of snakes. They can be easily recognized because of the colorful bands of red, black and white on their body. They are non aggressive snakes and bite only when provoked. Most of coral snake bites occur because of accidental handling of the snake. They are found mostly in the northern parts of United States and also in a few parts in south eastern North Carolina, Mexico and Texas. They are relatives of the cobra and there bites are very dangerous but less fatal when compared to the bites of the cobra or the rattlesnake.
The average length of coral snake is 24 – 30 inches while the average length of its hatchlings is 7- 11 inches. The head of coral snake is not much wider than the body which is cylindrical and covered with shiny scales. The count of the scales on coral snake body is around 12- 23. The body of this snake is circled with black, red and white, in some cases it is off white or pale yellow. The nose of coral snakes is usually black and can contain a few blotches of red in some cases.
Behavior of coral snake:
Coral snakes are rather elusive and spend most of their life buried in the ground or in the leaf litter and are generally nocturnal. This type of snake comes out only during the rainy season or when it’s the time to breed. When the coral snakes are bothered, they often lay their head out of sight and rattle their flattened tail which creates a popping sound.
Diet of coral snake:
The diet of coral snake mostly consists of reptiles, snakes, amphibians and small lizards. Coral snakes are the only poisonous snakes in America that lay eggs. They lay eggs in clutches of 2 to 3 eggs.
Coral snakes are very small in size and have small fangs, their bites are often ineffective. These snakes have difficulty in penetrating thick clothes and shoes. In any case if you are bitten by coral snake, it is significant for you to seek medical attention just to be sure. Generally coral snake will bite if stepped on or picked up. They are quiet docile and only attack when threatened. Coral snake can make good pet if you are good at handling snake. Coral snake is good as a pet as far as there are no children at residing at your place and you’ve been expert in handling various species of snakes.