Coral Snake
Micrurus fulvius
Photo credit: Peter May
The coral snake is fairly common throughout Florida in pine woods, hammocks, and edges of ponds and lakes. It often lives in places such as rotting logs and piles of leaves, brush, and decaying vegetation.
The coral snake has the most dangerous venom in North America, and is closely related to the cobra. The coral snake closely resembles the non-venomous scarlet king snake, and people often get these two snakes confused. One way to tell them apart is to remember a rhyme about the placement of the color bands: "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow. Red touch black, friend of Jack."