The Coral Snake By Chelsy Allen
Coral Snake Scientific name of the three most popular Coral Snakes: The Eastern Coral Snake (Micrurus fulvius)
The Western or Arizona Coral Snake (Micruroides euryxanthus)
The Blue Malayan Coral Snake (Calliophis bivirgatus)
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Domestication ď ľ Though there are people who have Coral Snakes as pets, they are not domesticated for human use.
Energy Transfer Guide
Ecology Habitat:
Eastern Coral Snakes live in the wooded, sandy, and marshy areas of the Southeastern United States. They spend most of their time burrowed in the ground or underneath leaf piles. They, also, like to burrow in sand hills. Western Coral Snakes usually live in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Northern Mexico. They like to live under rocks or burrowed in the sand or soil. Many times they are also found underneath the rocky areas around the Saguaro cacti. The Blue Malayan Coral Snake is primarily found in Southeast Asia. They live in forest and lower mountain areas.
More Ecology! Since Eastern Coral Snakes live in forest and swampy areas, they are surrounded by trees, leaves, and a wide variety of bushes and shrubbery. Eastern Coral Snakes primarily feed on lizards, frogs, and other small snakes, so they surround themselves in areas with a large number of these living creatures. The Western Coral Snakes love to feed on smaller, black headed snakes, as well as, lizards that live in the desert. Since they love to live under cacti, they surround themselves with many types of cacti and other desert shrubbery. The Blue Malayan Coral Snake lives among trees, leaves, and a wide variety of bushes like the Eastern Coral Snake. Like the other two Coral Snakes, the Malayan feeds on lizards, frogs, and other snakes, as well.
Predator or Prey? Coral Snakes usually feed on lizards, frogs, and other snakes, including other Coral Snakes.
Many animals will kill and feed on snakes, including the venomous Coral Snake as well as other venomous snakes. Owls, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, raccoons, weasels, snapping turtles, alligators, crows, mongooses, honey badgers, hedgehogs, eagles, armadillos, and a variety of other carnivorous birds will eat snakes, including the Coral Snake.
The Coral Snake is both predator and prey!
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Evolution The Coral Snakes have different colors to match other snakes and to ward off predators. They have venom that is strong enough to kill a man or a large animal They are the only venomous snake to lay eggs, as opposed to a live birth. Coral Snakes’ head and tail look alike as to confuse predators or prey when hunting or defending themselves.
Fun Facts! Due to similarity between head and tail, the Coral Snake curls when threatened and exposes its tail to confuse the predator.
Venom produced by the coral snake is the second strongest of all snake o placeholder or click icon to add venoms. In 1967 anti-venom was produced and death after the coral snake bite has not been recorded ever since.
Unlike other venomous snakes, coral snake cannot retract its venomous fangs into the mouth; instead, they are constantly erect. Coral snake is the only venomous snake in the North America which lays eggs Babies have the same coloration as their parents and they are fully venomous from the first day of their life. Lifespan of the coral snake in the wild is unknown. They can live up to 7 years in captivity. When provoked, coral snakes will sometimes make a popping sound by expelling air from their cloaca, a single opening for the urinary, reproductive and intestinal tract, to startle the threat. Scientist to not know exactly what this popping sound means, but it is usually associated with being threatened and defensive. These “microfarts” have been observed in other snake species, also.
Videos! The Eastern Coral Snake The Western Coral Snake The Blue Malayan Coral Snake
Resources Szalay, J. (2014, December 16). Coral Snakes: Colors, Bites, Farts & Facts. Retrieved June 20, 2015, from Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/43938-coral-snakes-colors-bites-farts-facts.htm Eastern Coral Snake. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2015, from National Geographic: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/eastern-coral-snake/ Blue Malayan Coral Snake. (2015). Retrieved June 20, 2015, from Ecology Asia: http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/snakes/blue_malayan_coral_snake.htm Coral Snake Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2015, from SoftSchools.com: http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/coral_snake_facts/118/