How to differentiate a Coral Snake from a Scarlet Kingsnake before you make a dangerous mistake

Observing a snake with colors of red, yellow, and black in one's garden area could be alarming. It turns out that there are two kinds of snakes in the southeastern United States, which tend to cause some confusion due to their similarity in appearance. On the one hand, there is the eastern coral snake, which has venom. On the other hand, the scarlet kingsnake does not contain any venom.

As wildlife specialists emphasize, the best thing to do is to avoid making guesses and rely on various signs and observe the snake at a reasonable distance. According to scientists, it is no coincidence that these animals resemble each other. Scarlet kingsnakes adapted to having the same coloring pattern as coral snakes in order to avoid predators.

Band order is the most useful first criterion


According to extension specialists, the quickest method to differentiate between these snakes would be to examine the color bands. In North American coral snakes, red bands are touching the yellow ones, while in the scarlet kingsnakes – black ones, according to the University of Florida IFAS Extension and NC State Extension.

“Red touches yellow, you’re a dead fellow. Red touches black, you’re OK, Jack” is a well-known saying that is based on the coloring. Nevertheless, scientists say that such a rhyme is a mnemonic aid rather than a guarantee. The specialists advise in the regional educational literature that the best way to go about it is to look for several distinguishing characteristics.

As an animal passes through leaves, pine needles, or mulch, it may become difficult to recognize its pattern. A contorted position or shading can also mislead the observers into misidentifying the coloration.

Head colors could indicate whether it is a venomous or non-venomous species

While the body color scheme might be ambiguous due to the conditions, the color of a reptile's head might help identify it. Most Eastern Coral Snakes have a blunt black nose, while Scarlet Kingsnakes have a sharp red nose, according to Florida IFAS and NC State Extension services. This characteristic may prove useful when encountering a reptile in a garden since the head will probably be seen first.

Nonetheless, one should consider that under certain circumstances, the head pattern might be distorted due to improper lighting. Combining these features, using both head pattern and band order in relation to geographical area, would be ideal.

Geography counts too in differentiating the snakes

Location is critical when determining snake identity. While scarlet kingsnakes have a broad distribution throughout the southeastern United States, eastern coral snakes tend to be prevalent in Florida and other southern states. Both the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and the Florida Museum of Natural History report that the areas of overlap may cause confusion.

The state of Florida is known to be one of the most common places where there may be an overlap of these snakes. It should therefore be advisable to use physical features of the two snakes to differentiate between the two snakes. However, even with this information, researchers advise that any uncertainty calls for people to retreat and not advance.

Why the snakes look so alike

Scientists regard this similarity between the coral snakes and the scarlet kingsnakes as an instance of Batesian mimicry. Here, a nonvenomous species develops the same warning coloration as the venomous species as an evolutionary adaptation against predators. Several studies reported in Science and Proceedings of the Royal Society B have indicated that many predators tend to stay away from the coloration of the coral snakes.

This evolutionary adaptation can partly explain why the two snakes may look alike to humans in their gardens. The researchers have explained that when examining coral snake mimicry systems, the mimic benefits because it mimics something dangerous; predators learn to avoid this particular pattern.

The scientists also point out that there is some geographical variation with regard to mimicry and certain differences in patterns due to regional predators' pressure and local availability of coral snakes. These differences provide an important rationale for experts not being too confident in simplistic identification principles.

Caution will be the smartest approach

According to wildlife organizations, no one must try touching an unknown snake. Experts advise not trying to touch a snake or force it to expose itself to a better view. The majority of cases where snakes bite people happen when individuals are trying to grab or relocate them.

The only thing to learn from both advice from an extension and the theory of evolution is that coral snakes and scarlet kingsnakes resemble each other due to evolution. Even though the band-color scheme helps identify them, one should take into account other features of these snakes, such as head coloring and location, as well. In case of uncertainty, caution will be the right approach.