Argentinian Coral Snake

The Texas coral snake is limited to south-central South America east of the Andes, including parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Argentinian Coral Snake (Micrurus pyrrhocryptus)

Order: Squamata
Family: Elapidae (fixed front- fang venomous snakes)
Other common names: Argentinian coral snake, coral, cobra-coral, mboi chumbo, mboi chumbe-guazu

Distinguishing Features

Medium sized 3 colored coral snake, adults usually 70 to 90 cm long (max. may be greater than 124 cm); snout and top of head black, 6 to 12 triads of black rings on body, junctions between red and black rings look "jagged" because each scale is entirely red, or black. Most dorsal red scales heavily outlined w/ black. Dorsal white scales often w/ black tips, especially along posterior border of the ring.

Geographical Range

Limited to south-central South America east of the Andes, including parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Habitat

Found mainly in dry tropical deciduous forest, pampas, grassland, savannah, pantanal, semideciduous shrubland, and chaco formations; at 100 to 500 m elevation.

Life History

restrained or handled roughly. Probably oviparous (clutch size unknown, but probably is less than 15 eggs) and mainly preys on locally available other snakes (possibly cannibalistic), lizards, frogs and invertebrates.

Comments

Not much known. Most coral snakes have mainly a potent neurotoxic venom which can be injected through a pair of grooved, fixed, upper front fangs. Due to their relatively small mouths, coral snakes' bites to humans usually occur on a finger or toe, and usually during attempts to catch or molest the snake. There are no well documented cases of serious envenomations or deaths of humans from bites by this species, so far.