coral snake

/ˌkɔrəl ˈsneɪk/

/ˈkɒrəl sneɪk/

Other forms: coral snakes

A coral snake is a long, narrow reptile with brightly colored bands along its body. All coral snakes are venomous, but their bite is rarely deadly to humans.

For generations, kids have been warned to watch out for coral snakes with sayings like "red against yellow, deadly fellow." Most of the coral snakes in North America do, in fact, have rings of bright red and yellow right next to each other, with black bands in between. Though it's rare for someone to die from a coral snake bite, it's a good idea to avoid these colorful reptiles, which are plentiful in southern states from North Carolina to Texas.

Definitions of coral snake

1. noun

   a venomous, legless reptile of Asia, Africa, and Australia, having fangs and red, yellow, and black stripes
   synonyms: Old World coral snake

   types:

   Asian coral snake

   of India

   African coral snake, Aspidelaps lubricus

   small widely distributed arboreal snake of southern Africa banded in black and orange

   Australian coral snake, Rhynchoelaps australis

   small venomous but harmless snake marked with black-and-white on red

   type of:

   elapid, elapid snake

   any of numerous venomous fanged snakes of warmer parts of both hemispheres
2. noun

   a venomous, legless reptile of South and Central America, having fangs and red, black, and either yellow or white stripes
   synonyms: New World coral snake, harlequin-snake

   types:

   Micrurus fulvius, eastern coral snake

   ranges from Central America to southeastern United States

   Micruroides euryxanthus, western coral snake

   ranges from Central America to southwestern United States

   type of:

   elapid, elapid snake

   any of numerous venomous fanged snakes of warmer parts of both hemispheres