On a coral snake, the ring pattern is red, yellow, black, yellow, red. In the case of a scarlet king snake, the ring pattern is red, black, yellow, black, red, or maybe blue.
Red touches yellow, kills a fellow. [3] X Research source Red touches black, friend of Jack. Red touches yellow, kills a fellow. Red touches black, venom lack. Red touches yellow, death says hello. Black touches red, keep your head. Yellow touches red, you’ll be dead. Red touches black, eat Cracker Jacks. Red touches yellow, you’re a dead fellow. Red touches black you’re all right Jack.
Unfortunately, elsewhere in the world, the patterning can be quite different and no assumptions can be made about venomous or non-venomous natures of the snake without knowing the actual snake’s species. This means that they rhymes don’t apply to coral snakes elsewhere, nor to the snakes that mimic them.
Coral snakes are very reclusive, and it’s extremely rare to see them in the wild. They only strike when they feel extremely threatened, so if you see one displaying this behavior, you’ll probably have time to get away. King snakes received their name because they eat other types of snakes, including venomous ones. They don’t tend to display this sort of defensive behavior, although they have been known to hiss and shake their tails like rattlesnakes.
A coral snake bite is not extraordinarily painful at first. However, if venom has been injected, the victim will experience slurred speech, double vision, and paralysis so even if you don’t feel anything after a coral snake bite still call emergency services. [11] X Research source If you ever get bitten by a coral snake, stay calm, remove constrictive clothing and jewelry and get medical help immediately. [12] X Research source
