Micrurus fulvius

Micrurus tener used to be considered a subspecies of M. fulvius. However DNA analysis suggests that it may be its own species as the analysis of microsatellites loci seems to place M. tener as a distinct species from M. fulvius. ==Common names==

Among the many common names for Micrurus fulvius are eastern coral snake, American cobra, candy-stick snake, common coral snake, coral adder, Elaps harlequin snake, Florida coral snake, harlequin coral snake, North American coral snake, red bead snake, thunder-and-lightning snake, and, in Spanish, serpiente-coralillo arlequín (literally "harlequin coral snake"). ==Description==

Micrurus fulvius is usually less than in total length (tail included). The maximum reported total lengths are for a specimen in Florida (Neill, 1958) and (Roze, 1996). Males have longer tails than females, but females reach a greater total length. The dorsal scales are smooth, and are in 15 rows at midbody. The red rings are usually speckled with black. People who live in its natural range are often taught a folk rhyme as children such as: "Red next to black, safe from attack; red next to yellow, you're a dead fellow," or "Red touching black, friend of Jack; red touching yellow, you're a dead fellow", or simply "red and yellow kill a fellow". These rhymes are useful in teaching children to distinguish king snakes (Lampropeltis ssp.), which are considered helpful predators of vermin such as rats and mice, from the venomous coral snake, which should only be handled by an experienced biologist or herpetologist. However, this rhyme is only applicable to species in the United States, and cannot be used reliably in the Caribbean, or Central and South America. ==Distribution==

Micrurus fulvius has historically ranged throughout the Southeastern United States from the southern tip of Florida to the Sandhills of North Carolina. M. fulvius is found in the Southeastern United States from southeastern North Carolina, south through South Carolina and peninsular Florida, and westward through southern Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi to southeastern Louisiana. Coral snakes in Texas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Arkansas are now considered to be a different species, Micrurus tener, which was previously considered a subspecies of M. fulvius. M. fulvius may be found at altitudes of near sea level to about . ==Habitat==

, Florida Micrurus fulvius occurs in upland mesophytic and tropical hammocks in Florida, as well as glade land, high pine, scrub oak and live oak hammock, slash pine and wiregrass flatwoods. In southern Georgia and Florida, it is found in dry areas with open ground that are bushy but not heavily vegetated. It is associated with sandy ridges in Mississippi and sandy creek bottoms in Louisiana. It is rarer in North and South Carolina, but is more typically found there in the scrub oak forests and pitch pine habitats near the coast, as well as the coastal plain of the southeast. They prefer costal plains and because of their secretive nature need vegetative debris to hide in. ==Diet==

Micrurus fulvius eats primarily other snakes and attenuate lizards, M. fulvius will attack the head of its prey first in order to envenomate it. M. fulvius will hold on to the prey until it becomes paralyzed. After the prey is paralyzed, the snake will consume it. ==Reproduction==

Sexually mature Micrurus fulvius breed from late summer and early autumn to late spring and early summer. Then bred females lay eggs in mid-summer. Females of M. fulvius are reported to lay three to 12 eggs in June that hatch in September. Hatchlings are in total length (tail included). ==Ecology==

Behavior Coral snakes of the genus Micrurus spend most of their time underground (fossoriality) or sheltering under suitable objects, but can be active on the surface during the day in early spring or at other times when rainfall has saturated the ground. They appear not to be generally surface active at night. Coral snakes are largely diurnal making night sightings rare Males are most active in the late fall or early spring, when they search for mates, and females are most active in late summer and throughout the fall, when they search for prey that will allow them to build energy reserves for the next season's reproductive effort. Coral snakes will attempt to escape if discovered, and individuals may engage in complex defensive behavior if prevented from doing so. This includes hiding the head beneath the body coils, mimicking the head with their tail (for example, crawling backward and striking with the tail), erratic body movements, and death feigning. Other individuals can be touchy, and will readily bite if restrained in any way. ==Venom==

The venom of Micrurus fulvius is a potent neurotoxin with a median of 1.3 mg/kg SC. Envenomation causes rapid paralysis and respiratory failure in prey. In humans, symptoms include local pain, sialorrhea, paresthesia, ptosis, slurred speech, double vision, blurred vision, weakness, paralysis, fasciculation and diplopia. In severe cases, envenomation may progress to respiratory arrest and muscular paralysis eventually leading to respiratory failure. It is estimated that 5 mg of venom can be lethal to humans. M. fulvius bites and fatalities are very rare. Only two documented fatalities were attributed to this species in the 1950s, and only one has been reported since Wyeth antivenin became available for it in the 1960s. The snakes have a mortality rate between 5–20%. The most recent fatality attributed to the eastern coral snake occurred in 2006 (confirmed in 2009 report). The victim failed to seek proper medical attention and died several hours after being bitten, becoming the first fatality caused by M. fulvius in over 40 years. The snake is considered secretive and generally reluctant to bite (its venomous potential was still being debated in the 1880s), and envenomation (i.e., secretion of venom during a strike) is thought to occur in only 40% of all bites. and one source states that production has resumed. ==References==