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Snake found in backyard - Cypress, TX

txliz May 31, 2003 11:35 AM

My wife found this snake and claims it might be poisonous. Can anyone ID him?

What should I do with it if it is poisonous? She is worried about our dog.

Thanks

Image

Replies (6)

oldherper May 31, 2003 02:27 PM

THIS SNAKE IS EXTREMELY VENOMOUS!

It is a Texas Coral Snake (Micrurus fulvius tenere. If you don't know what you are doing, don't try to handle it. If you can sweep it into a bucket or something and then take it away from your house to a woodlot somewhere and release it, that would be the best thing to do. You really sort of have to work at it to get bitten by one, but your best chance of getting bitten is trying to catch it using your hands. A bite from this one can easily be fatal.

Greg Longhurst May 31, 2003 03:07 PM

Positive i.d is easy with a good clear picture, isn't it/ Good advice. Corals are really easy to handle once you've done it a time or three, but that first one's got hair all over it.
Chances are that the dog will not be in danger....unless he tries to bite the snake, or paw at it. Left alone, the coral is absolutely no threat to anything other than a prey animal.

~~Greg~~
Florida's Venomous Snakes

snakeguy88 May 31, 2003 04:03 PM

I emailed you but my friend actually says his school is out in Cypress. If you need someone to pick it up we would be happy to. My cell is 713 724 0309. Andy
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Andy Maddox
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

savana_man Jun 02, 2003 10:13 PM

Whats that riddle?....if red touches yellow your a dead fellow. Something like that.
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irtBikeBoy50@aol.com" target="_blank">DirtBikeBoy50@aol.comMy pets: Savanna Monitor, 2 pictus geckos,hamster,cat,and 6 goldfish.

oldherper Jun 02, 2003 10:24 PM

Red touch yellow, kill a fellow
Red touch black, friend of jack.

However, there are a couple of populations of Coral Snakes that I'm aware of, one in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana around the town of LaCombe and one in South Florida in the Keys where they are very melanistic, the black and yellow bands completely or almost completely obscured.

For North American Coral Snakes, all you really need to remember is that if it has a blunt black snout, it's a Coral Snake. All of the North American "Coral Snake Mimics", such a s Scarlet Kings Snakes, Scarlet Snakes, Milk Snakes, Mountain King Snakes, etc..have either red or white snouts. In Central and South American Coral Snakes and mimics, that rule doesn't apply anyway.

adamskid000 Nov 04, 2003 06:20 AM

yes that is a very poisionous snake call your local animal control emetiotly it is a coral snake the most poisionous snake in north america if you get bite go directly to the hostpital keep your dog inside

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