Coral snakes, with their striking bands of red, yellow, and black, are often misunderstood, particularly regarding their fangs. Understanding their unique dental structure and venom delivery system is important for appreciating their biology and ensuring safety.
Understanding Snake Fangs
Snake dentition varies significantly across species, reflecting diverse hunting strategies and evolutionary adaptations. Aglyphous snakes, like boa constrictors and pythons, lack specialized fangs and possess uniform, backward-curving teeth for gripping prey.
Opisthoglyphous snakes, often called “rear-fanged” snakes, have enlarged, grooved fangs positioned at the back of their upper jaw. These fangs allow venom to flow into the bite wound, typically requiring the snake to “chew” on its prey for effective envenomation. Most opisthoglyphous species are considered mildly venomous to humans, though some can deliver medically significant venom.
Proteroglyphous snakes, which include cobras, mambas, and coral snakes, possess fixed fangs at the front of their mouths. These fangs are typically shorter than those found in vipers and are not hinged or retractable. Venom flows through a hollow channel within these fangs, similar to a hypodermic needle.
Solenoglyphous snakes, such as vipers and rattlesnakes, represent the most advanced fang type, featuring long, hollow fangs that fold back against the roof of the mouth when not in use and erect when striking. This hinged mechanism allows vipers to have exceptionally long fangs, sometimes reaching up to 5 cm in length.
Coral Snake Venom Delivery
Coral snakes possess proteroglyphous fangs, which are short, fixed, and located at the front of their mouths. Unlike the hinged fangs of vipers, coral snake fangs are rigid and do not fold. Their fangs are relatively small, averaging around 5 mm in length.
Their venom delivery often involves a “chewing” or “gnawing” action. Because their fangs are short and fixed, coral snakes tend to hold onto their prey for a longer duration to maximize venom injection, contrasting with the quick strike-and-release method of many vipers. Coral snake venom is highly potent, primarily neurotoxic. This neurotoxic venom affects the nervous system, potentially causing progressive muscle weakness and paralysis, including respiratory failure. Symptoms of envenomation can be delayed, sometimes appearing up to 13 hours after a bite.
Recognizing Coral Snakes
Identifying coral snakes is important due to their venomous nature, especially as they are mimicked by several non-venomous species. In North America, a common mnemonic to distinguish coral snakes from their look-alikes, such as king snakes and milk snakes, is “red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack.” This rhyme refers to the color pattern of their bands: venomous coral snakes typically have red bands touching yellow bands, while non-venomous mimics usually have red bands touching black bands.
Coral snakes also exhibit other distinguishing physical characteristics. Their heads are typically small, rounded, and not distinctly wider than their necks. The snout is often black, followed by a broad yellow band. Their bodies are slender, covered in smooth, shiny scales, and their colorful bands completely encircle their bodies. These visual cues, especially the band arrangement and head appearance, are important for accurate identification.