The old saying goes: “Red on yella, kill a fella. Red on black, a friend of Jack.” Show Another variant says: “Red against yellow, you’re a dead fellow. Red against black, you’re OK, Jack.” Outdoors folks from Arizona to the Carolinas have long learned such poems to help distinguish the highly venomous coral snake from harmless look-alikes. But can this reptilian rhyme really prevent an early elegy? What We Know You may well go a lifetime without ever seeing a coral snake. They are reclusive. That said, if you get too close to the Sonoran coral snake, you may find yourself downwind of a high-pitched burst of cloacal micro-farts. You read that right: these snakes suck air into their anus and emit it as a warning sound that sounds like popping. And make no mistake, if you push your luck with any coral snake, your wages may just be a lethal injection of neurotoxin. Out of 9,000 reported snake bites in America each year, fewer than 50 come from coral snakes. Coral snakes are deadly, but there’s only been one reported death due to their bite in the last 40 years. Why? Because they’re not trying to get involved. A coral snake is like William Wallace in an early scene of “Braveheart,” he’s just farming—minding his business. But if you poke him enough times, its fiery fury. There’s a battle. Maybe you die. Maybe the snake dies. It’s bad news either way. The problem is that when knuckleheads spot something interesting in the woods, they have to pick it up or poke it. Few things stand out more than a multi-colored snake. If coral snakes were the only serpent that flashed red, yellow, and black rings, identification would be a cinch. But evolution has put similar paint jobs on the scarlet snake, milk snake, some king snakes, and other lookalikes. The mimicry deters predators. It also confuses dudes with half-knowledge and poking sticks. The poem means to remind us that typically a coral snake has a red band against a yellow band where the posers usually have a red band touching a black band. This is true—until it isn’t. Why? Because, nature. Here’s how it all goes wrong. First, the poem is not accurate outside of the United States. Second, coral snakes are not plastic toys being pumped out on a conveyor belt, one exactly like the next. There is variation, aberration, regional differences, mutations, melanism, albinism, and other reasons why every American coral snake will not adhere to the poem or look like the one in the catalog. So, if you see a multicolored snake, don’t use poetry as an excuse to push your luck. Leave the snakes alone. Or, if you must get close enough to try and identify a coral snake (which you shouldn’t) you can augment the poem by looking for other tells. For example, usually a coral snake’s broad black ring is bordered by a narrow yellow ring, which is followed by a broad red ring. A coral snake’s rings usually wrap completely around the body. But, in my experience, upside-down snakes are pissed off or dead snakes, so good luck with that one. Coral snakes’ snouts are usually black. And, they usually have nearly round pupils. Usually. The Verdict Feature image via Bethany Harvey. It never fails. There isn’t one type of snake that doesn’t have some kind of misconception or urban legend attached to it. Perhaps no other species of snake causes as much chaos and hurt feelings as the coralsnake, and “the rhyme” that is forever attached to them. The Coralsnakes The coralsnakes covered in this article are the 65 recognized species of New World coralsnakes in three genera (Leptomicrurus, Micruroides, and Micrurus), most notably the three U.S. species ; Eastern Coralsnake (Micrurus fulvius), Texas Coralsnake (Micrurus tener), and Arizona Coralsnake (Micruroides euryxanthus). These three snakes are clad in red, yellow, and black rings (sometimes red, white, and black in the Arizona coral). Coralsnakes are venomous Elapids and many species are considered medically significant.  Coralsnakes have powerful neurotoxic venom that is often mixed with other venom types. This venom alters the normal activity of the nervous system in such a way as to cause permanent or irreversible damage to nervous tissue. Most coralsnakes are secretive and rarely seen, spending much of their time under loose soil and leaf litter where they hunt other reptiles. Bites from these snakes are generally uncommon due to their secretive nature and reluctance to bite. This being said, these snakes should never be handled and a coralsnake bite is a serious medical emergency and prompt treatment is the only course of action that should be taken. The Rhyme Now that we have a little background on coralsnakes we can move on to the fun part. Somewhere along the way, someone came up with a rhyme to differentiate venomous coralsnakes and non-venomous species which appear similar, such as the Scarlet Kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides). The rhyme goes “Red touches black, venom lack. Red touches yellow, kill a fellow”. There are a few other variation of this rhyme, but the idea behind it is to identify these snakes by the color of their banding. Several species of non-venomous snake in the U.S. have alternating red, black, and yellow banding and have historically caused confusion. The Controversy In this section we will cover some of the controversies surrounding the rhyme, and I will then summarize everything at the end of this article. “The Rhyme” has been ingrained into popular lore for several decades to the point where it has become the “end all” identification technique for many people. The truth is that, in the United States, the rhyme is not as bad as some people would have you believe. At a quick glance it can be used as a tool to separate a harmless species from a potentially venomous coralsnake. Indeed, for the most part, the red and black DO touch on the non-venomous species, and the red and yellow DO touch on the venomous coralsnakes. The first controversy is that sometimes (rarely) a snake will be found that does not look like the field guide photo. These snakes are called “aberrant” and they often have markings and colors that are different – sometimes extremely different – from the “normal” version of the species. The argument is that the rhyme is unreliable because of the chance of coming across one of these aberrant individuals, confusing the average person, and possibly resulting in a venomous bite. The second controversy is the existence of a snake native to the southwestern U.S., the Shovel-nosed Snakes (Chionactis sp.) These small, harmless snakes do have red and yellow bands touching, which may cause confusion and could result in these snakes being killed. The third controversy is that the rhyme is often misquoted and mixed up which could cause someone to mistake a coralsnake for a non-venomous species. The fourth, most dangerous, and 100% accurate argument is that the rhyme is only reliable when in reference to coralsnakes native to the United States. Once we enter Mexico and down through South America, we encounter dozens of coralsnake species which do not follow any rules or rhymes. To add to the confusion there are also dozens of coralsnake “mimics” in Central and South America and Mexico. These range from non-venomous species to rear-fanged and venomous species. The Final Word Somewhere along the line the rhyme has been taken out of context and is being used as a stand-alone technique for identifying the snakes covered in this article. That, in my opinion, is the main problem. Accurately identifying snakes takes time and experience, and no one should be relying on ONE technique to identify snakes (such as the rhyme) ; instead, we must use several techniques and features as a WHOLE to identify snakes, such as body shape, head shape, pattern, behavior, and location. Perhaps most important, if you are uncertain about the identity of a snake, simply leave it alone and maintain a safe distance. This will keep you safe in the slim chance you have encountered an aberrant coralsnake. Coralsnakes are shy and are not looking to bite or attack humans! They just want to be left alone like any other wild animal and can be safely observed as they go about their business. Here are the main bullet points to keep in mind!
Thanks for reading! What is the saying black on yellow kill a fellow?Some people use rhymes to tell them apart: “Black touch yellow, kill a fellow” or “red touch black, friend of Jack.” But these are often confused or forgotten, so the easiest way to tell a coral snake from a kingsnake is to remember coral snakes have black, round noses (about a ¼ of their head is black) and the ...
What is the rhyme for coral snakes?The Boy Scouts have a cute rhyme to help identify the venomous coral snake: red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, good for Jack.
What is the red and yellow snake saying?If you are looking at North American snakes, the snake rhyme has nothing to do with white markings. The rhyme goes, 'red touching black, safe for Jack. Red touching yellow, kill a fellow'. This is the only rhyme that will identify a coral snake, one of the deadly serpents in North America.
What is the king snake rhyme?Coral snake or king snake? Their coloration is similar so it's tough to tell, but remember the rhyme, “red touch yellow, kill a fellow.” Don't pick snakes up!
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Red on yellow kill a fellow red on black
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