● Venomous · Native to the United States

Texas coral snake

Micrurus tener Baird & Girard, 1853

Also called Texas coralsnake
Data updated October 2026

Texas coral snake crossing leaf litter, showing wide red and black rings separated by narrow yellow rings
Fig. 1 — Adult in leaf litter. The red rings touch the narrow yellow rings.
Close view of a Texas coral snake's blunt black snout followed by a yellow band
Fig. 2 — A blunt black snout followed by a yellow band.

At a glance

A slender, brightly ringed relative of cobras that lives in Texas, Louisiana, southern Arkansas and Mexico. It is shy, spends most of its time hidden under cover, and eats mainly other snakes. Its venom is a strong neurotoxin, and every bite needs emergency care.

01

Identification

A slender, glossy snake ringed in wide red, wide black and narrow yellow bands that circle the body and continue across the belly. The red rings are often flecked with black. The head is small, rounded and barely wider than the neck, with a blunt black snout and round pupils. Unlike rattlesnakes and copperheads it has no heat-sensing pit and no triangular head.

  1. 01Red touches yellow. Each red ring is bordered by narrow yellow rings. In harmless look-alikes in Texas, red touches black instead. The old rhyme is a good rule here, but rare odd-colored coral snakes exist, so never handle a banded snake.
  2. 02Black snout. The front of the head is black, followed by a yellow band. The head and tail carry only black and yellow rings, no red.
  3. 03Small, round head. Round pupils and a head no wider than the neck, very different from a pit viper.

Commonly confused with

02

Size

01 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Typical adult · about 24 in (61 cm)

Most adults are 20 to 30 inches (51–76 cm) long and slim for their length. Females usually grow larger than males. The largest on record was about 48 inches. Hatchlings are 6 to 9 inches long.

03

Range & habitat

Texas coral snake partly hidden under leaf litter on a woodland floor
Fig. 3 — Coral snakes spend most of their time under leaf litter, logs and rocks.

Texas coral snakes live west of the Mississippi River in Louisiana, southern Arkansas and Texas, and south into central Mexico. In Texas they occur mainly in the eastern and southern parts of the state, from the Red River south and west through the Hill Country and South Texas to the eastern edge of the Trans-Pecos. They are not picky about habitat but do best in moist woodland, canyons and coastal plains with plenty of leaf litter, logs or rocks to hide under. They also turn up in suburban yards and city parks.

State guides: Texas

04

Diet & predators

Coral snakes are snake specialists. They hunt by searching under cover for small snakes, which they bite and hold until the venom takes effect. Lizards, especially skinks, and the occasional frog round out the diet. Females have even been known to eat males.

Feeds on

  • Small snakes
  • Skinks and other lizards
  • Frogs (occasionally)

Preyed on by

  • Hawks and other birds of prey
  • Snake-eating snakes
  • People and vehicles (main cause of deaths)
Skink on a log
Prey — skinks.
Red-tailed hawk perched on a branch
Predator — hawks.

05

Behavior & seasons

Texas coral snakes are secretive and spend much of their lives under debris or in shallow burrows. They are most active in the morning, evening and at night. They are not aggressive and usually crawl away when disturbed. If pestered, a coral snake may tuck its head under its coils and raise and wave its tail as a decoy.

Its fangs are short and fixed at the front of the mouth. It delivers far less venom per bite than a rattlesnake, but the venom is among the most potent of any North American snake and acts on the nervous system. Bites are rare, and most happen when people pick up or try to kill the snake.

06

Reproduction

Unlike US pit vipers, the Texas coral snake lays eggs. Mating takes place in summer and can continue into the following spring. Females lay a clutch of about 3 to 9 small eggs in summer, each under 1.5 inches long. The eggs hatch after about two months, and the 6- to 9-inch hatchlings are fully venomous.

07

Conservation

The Texas coral snake is not listed under the US Endangered Species Act and is fairly common within its range, though rarely seen. In Arkansas, at the northern edge of its range, it is known from only a handful of counties and is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Deliberate killing, road traffic and loss of forest habitat are the main threats.

08 — Bite safety

If someone is bitten

Texas coral snake bites are a medical emergency. Every bite needs medical care. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. For guidance, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. If a pet is bitten, take it to a veterinarian right away.

This page does not give first-aid or treatment instructions. Read our safety disclaimer.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages