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KXAS (Dallas, Texas) 10 May 08 Coral Snake Sightings On Rise In Duncanville
Duncanville, Texas: A Dallas County neighborhood is on edge as deadly Texas coral snakes invade the area, NBC 5 reports.
The venomous snakes, which are usually reclusive, have been spotted in the grass near homes in Duncanville.
Several Texas coral snakes have been slithering a little too close to the Wilkins family.
"We've had a couple of them in the back yard, right here where they play," resident Tammy Wilkins said.
"(They're) really beautiful in the grass, but I knew what it was, because we've had four of them here in the last six months," Tom Wilkins said.
Coral snake venom attacks the nervous system and leaves little time for survival, NBC 5 reported.
Tom Wilkins got a coral snake that ventured into the yard into a trashcan. He then called Daryl Sprout of Snake Encounters to take it away.
"It's basically a cobra with no hood," Sprout said. "Very reclusive, very unlikely to bite humans, but very deadly if you get bitten."
The Wilkins family said the neighborhood is growing, and more construction is equating to more snake sightings.
"This is concerning me, because it's a lot of snakes and a lot of venomous snakes -- very quickly," Tammy Wilkins said.
Texas coral snakes have bright red, black and yellow bands around the body. People encountering one should walk slowly away, herpetologists said.
Coral Snake Sightings On Rise In Duncanville

I love how they describe the increase in sightings "deadly coral snakes invade the area" "a cobra with no hood"

sensationalist media strikes again.
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1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

I have a couple of corals. They are very complacent in their attitude towards me. I have one that is as calm and sweet as any pet snake. I truly believe it would take a lot to get it to bite. I sometimes use gloves because they are pretty hard to pin without hurting them. They could bite the gloves at any time because they are hardly restrained. I have never had one bite though. They are certainly not a “cobra without a hood”.
Up until fairly recently there had not been a fatal coral snake bite since the antivenin became available. Maybe Wyeth will decide at some point that producing the antivenin actually is worth the effort, even if it is not a huge money making drug. They have put profit above all and simply decided producing that life saving product wasn’t worth it for them. Pretty bad Wyeth. Isn’t that the story that should be getting the publicity?

I guess I like them…

beware those de-hooded cobras. I hear they travel in packs and attack towns.
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1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

"It's basically a cobra with no hood," Sprout said.

Behaviourally, they are different from most cobras, but in every other aspect I can think of, this is perfectly acccurate.

He, furthermore, goes on to say:

"Very reclusive, very unlikely to bite humans, but very deadly if you get bitten."

The last phrase is somewhat debatable, but otherwise I think he covered it pretty well.

With most snakes I find myself telling people that they are not as dangerous as they think, but I meet far too many people who still think corals:

Are rear-fanged.
Can't open their mouths far enough to bite a human.
Have fangs that are too short to penetrate human skin.
Can't inject venom.
Won't bite even if you pick them up.
etc...

With the shortage of antivenom, I think a little extra caution on the part of the public is probably a good thing.

Now, the reporter's assertion that a bite "leaves little time for survival" is dangerously inaccurate...
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

My perspective on it is that 99% of the time venomous snakes arent dangerous.The only thing that makes venomous snakes dangerous is people and there carlessness and ignorance or there or the lack education (with the exeption of toddlers)and that just because a coral snake is around your house dosent make it a dangerous area. wear shoes when your outside, leave your garage clossed and dont stick you fingers where you cant see them, and dont try to kill snakes!If anybody thinks im way off tell me.

I agree with you completely Blake, and I will get on my soapbox just long enough to say that those who choose to take suburban sprawl deeper and deeper into snakes' natural habitat have the PRIVILEGE of the occasional coral snake in their backyard. The article reads like the Texas coral is an unlicensed German Shepherd that someone should be fined over--people should remember that "suburban Dallas" is a synonym for "natural snake habitat."