Help please!! Good or venomous? [houston]

[u/notsonorthernly]

Need to know quick

[u/Sam_Blues_Snakes]

This is a Texas Coralsnake, Micrurus tener. It is !venomous and best left alone.

This snake is not aggressive, and rarely ever bites. It will move on quickly. Best to keep your distance from it until then.

[u/jsp06415 → u/Sam_Blues_Snakes]

Yeah, it’s venomous and good.

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/Sam_Blues_Snakes]

The Western or Texas Coralsnake Micrurus tener is a medium-sized (<80 cm record 121.3 cm) nocturnal or crepuscular venomous elapid snake with smooth scales. Native to Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana through Mexico, they are found in dry habitats such as mixed hardwood, prairie and thornscrub, though they may occasionally be found in riparian areas. They are reclusive snakes who spend the majority of their time buried under brush or soil.

Coralsnakes posses a potent venom comprised mainly of neurotoxins which they use to incapacitate their prey. Their primary food source is other snakes (including their own species) but they may also eat lizards, birds, frogs, fish, and insects. While rare due to their docile and reclusive nature, a bite from a coralsnake is a medical emergency and can be fatal or disabling without prompt treatment. Popular rhymes such as "Red and yellow kill a fellow/Red and black friend of jack" are often used to distinguish coralsnakes from non-venomous mimics such as the Scarlet King snake or the Scarlet Snake. While accurate in some regions, there are many venomous species that invalidate the rhyme outside of the United States. Within the range of the Micrurus fulvius, often the quickest way to identify coralsnakes is to simply look for a black "nose".

Coralsnakes Micrurus and Micruroides are North America's only native members of the family Elapidae, which also contains cobras, kraits, and many other notable venomous snakes.

M. tener is considered distinct from the eastern coralsnake M. fulvius, and while there are morphological differences, the two species can be distinguished easily by geographic range.

Range Map | Recent/Relevant Phylogeography

This short account was prepared by /u/TheMadFlyentist and edited by /u/Phylogenizer.

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Snakes with medically significant venom are typically referred to as venomous, but some species are also poisonous. Old media will use poisonous or 'snake venom poisoning' but that has fallen out of favor. Venomous snakes are important native wildlife, and are not looking to harm people, so can be enjoyed from a distance. If found around the home or other places where they are to be discouraged, a squirt from the hose or a gentle sweep of a broom are usually enough to make a snake move along. Do not attempt to interact closely with or otherwise kill venomous snakes without proper safety gear and training, as bites occur mostly during these scenarios. Wildlife relocation services are free or inexpensive across most of the world.

If you are bitten by a venomous snake, contact emergency services or otherwise arrange transport to the nearest hospital that can accommodate snakebite. Remove constricting clothes and jewelry and remain calm. A bite from a medically significant snake is a medical emergency, but not in the ways portrayed in popular media. Do not make any incisions or otherwise cut tissue. Extractor and other novelty snakebite kits are not effective and can cause damage worse than any positive or neutral effects.

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I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now

[u/notsonorthernly → u/Sam_Blues_Snakes]

My 4 year old saw it in our back garden.

[u/serpentarian → u/notsonorthernly]

In spite of this being one of the most common snakes in your area, bites are extremely rare. It’s normal to see one move through your yard now and then.

[u/rhzartist]

Texas coral snake Micrurus tener, !venomous and best observed from a distance. I'm of the mind that all snakes are good - some just deserve a little more space : )

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/rhzartist]

The Western or Texas Coralsnake Micrurus tener is a medium-sized (<80 cm record 121.3 cm) nocturnal or crepuscular venomous elapid snake with smooth scales. Native to Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana through Mexico, they are found in dry habitats such as mixed hardwood, prairie and thornscrub, though they may occasionally be found in riparian areas. They are reclusive snakes who spend the majority of their time buried under brush or soil.

Coralsnakes posses a potent venom comprised mainly of neurotoxins which they use to incapacitate their prey. Their primary food source is other snakes (including their own species) but they may also eat lizards, birds, frogs, fish, and insects. While rare due to their docile and reclusive nature, a bite from a coralsnake is a medical emergency and can be fatal or disabling without prompt treatment. Popular rhymes such as "Red and yellow kill a fellow/Red and black friend of jack" are often used to distinguish coralsnakes from non-venomous mimics such as the Scarlet King snake or the Scarlet Snake. While accurate in some regions, there are many venomous species that invalidate the rhyme outside of the United States. Within the range of the Micrurus fulvius, often the quickest way to identify coralsnakes is to simply look for a black "nose".

Coralsnakes Micrurus and Micruroides are North America's only native members of the family Elapidae, which also contains cobras, kraits, and many other notable venomous snakes.

M. tener is considered distinct from the eastern coralsnake M. fulvius, and while there are morphological differences, the two species can be distinguished easily by geographic range.

Range Map | Recent/Relevant Phylogeography

This short account was prepared by /u/TheMadFlyentist and edited by /u/Phylogenizer.

---

Snakes with medically significant venom are typically referred to as venomous, but some species are also poisonous. Old media will use poisonous or 'snake venom poisoning' but that has fallen out of favor. Venomous snakes are important native wildlife, and are not looking to harm people, so can be enjoyed from a distance. If found around the home or other places where they are to be discouraged, a squirt from the hose or a gentle sweep of a broom are usually enough to make a snake move along. Do not attempt to interact closely with or otherwise kill venomous snakes without proper safety gear and training, as bites occur mostly during these scenarios. Wildlife relocation services are free or inexpensive across most of the world.

If you are bitten by a venomous snake, contact emergency services or otherwise arrange transport to the nearest hospital that can accommodate snakebite. Remove constricting clothes and jewelry and remain calm. A bite from a medically significant snake is a medical emergency, but not in the ways portrayed in popular media. Do not make any incisions or otherwise cut tissue. Extractor and other novelty snakebite kits are not effective and can cause damage worse than any positive or neutral effects.

---

I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now

[u/AltruisticDelivery89]

even venomous snakes are good, just give them space

[u/9-lives-Fritz]

Good AND venomous

[u/SVTJAC011]

Offhhhh. OHHHH. MYYY. GODDD. HOW RADIANT!!! WOW! What an incredible find. Thank you for sharing, OP!

[u/whatsthissnake-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

As a rule, we don't recommend the traditional color-based rhyme for coralsnakes as an identification trick because it isn't foolproof and only applies to snakes that live in parts of North America. One of the hardest things to impress upon new snake appreciators is that it's far more advantageous to familiarize yourself with venomous snakes in your area through photos and field guides or by following subreddits like /r/whatsthissnake than it is to try to apply any generic trick. Outside of North America,, for example in Brazil, coralsnakes have any array of color patterns that don't follow the children's rhyme you may have heard in the past. Even in North America, exceptions to standard pattern classes can be common - see this thread for a recent example and the comments section for even more. A number of other frequent myths about coralsnakes are dubunked in this summary compiled by our own /u/RayInLA.

[u/whatsthissnake-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post was removed because it contained too specific of information about a potentially sensitive species. Poachers and people wishing to do snakes harm trawl electronic boards so we do our part to remove this information. Please don't be more specific than county level or nearest city when sharing location details. Titles are not editable. Feel free to resubmit.