1. There are a couple of other snakes that look like the coral snake but aren’t venomous. An excellent way to know the difference is to keep this rhyme about the coral snake’s color pattern in mind: “Red and yellow, can kill a fellow. Red and black, a friend of Jack.”.
2. The rhyme is also used for the Coral snake and California Moutain King snake. Red touching black is a friend of Jack, Red touching yellow can kill a fellow.

To tell the difference between harmless species, and harmful species, remember, “Red on yellow, kills a fellow – Red on black, a friend of Jack.” When red bands touch yellow bands, the snake is a coral snake, and when red bands touch black bands it is not. Venomous or Poisonous – Whenever given the opportunity, I like to remind people.

At Sweetwater Preserve in Gainesville, this bike rack sits right off the Gainesville Hawthorne Trail extension to Depot Street at the entrance to the preserve’s hiking loop.

We’ve never seen a bike rack before that was both strikingly beautiful and an excellent lesson in identifying a deadly snake from a harmless one. Both are found in this preserve.

Coral Snake Identification

The coloration on the left is that of the Eastern coral snake, a small venomous snake that inhabits the drier habitats of Florida.

The little mnemonic we learned as kids about the coral snake is “red touch yellow, kill a fellow.”

Florida doesn’t have a lot of venomous snakes, but this little guy packs much more of a punch than any rattler or cottonmouth.

It’s a myth that its bite will immediately kill you, but the coral snake is in the cobra family.

We’ve read that they don’t strike, but must chew through skin to inject their venom.

We have seen quite a few in the wild. Unlike rattlesnakes and cottonmouths, they have not exhibited any aggression towards us.

Seek immediate medical attention if bit.

Kingsnake Identification

Coral Snake Red On Black Friend Of Jack

The Scarlet kingsnake’s pattern is depicted at the right end of the bike rack.

It is easily confused with the coral snake because its colors can be the same, but they appear in a different order.

The rhyme associated with this snake? “Red touch black, friend of Jack.”

Like the coral snake, it prefers drier habitats. It also tends to be larger, both thicker and longer, than the average coral snake.

It will bite if you disturb it – all snakes will bit if they feel threatened – but the kingsnake non-venomous.

Both of us have been around many snakes since our youth. John was a camp counselor at Camp La-No-Che helping other youth with their Nature merit badges.

Sandra’s aunt raised snakes in her basement, and her father became friends with Ross Allen at Silver Springs.

She handled and posed for a photo with a very large indigo snake at Silver Springs when she was just eight years old.

We both enjoy seeing snakes when we hike, but prefer not being startled by them.

Snakes do a wonderful job of clearing out other vermin (like mice and rats) that you don’t want around.

Coral Snake Red On Black Friend Of Jack

When you’re hiking, just leave snakes be. Rarely will they bother you if you don’t bother them.

Don’t pick up snakes! That is how most people get bit.

Get familiar with the venomous snakes of North America, so you know what to do in an encounter or better yet, avoid it!

RELATED: Snake Bite Survival

In this article:

Venomous Snakes: The Most Deadly Snakes in America

Rattlesnakes Venomous Snakes

Rattlesnakes belong to the subfamily of pit viper snakes. Some of the most venomous snakes in the U.S. are rattlesnakes.

1. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

This type of rattlesnake roam the southeastern regions of the United States in lower coastal plains. You will also find them in southeast North Carolina to the Florida Keys, west to south Mississippi, and East Louisiana.

Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes grow to a length of 96″ which makes it our largest rattlesnake. It has also a reputation for being the most dangerous snake in North America.

2. Timber Rattlesnake

It is commonly found in most of the eastern regions of the United States, except the extreme northern regions. The timber rattlesnake grows to a length of about 75″.

It prefers remote wooded hillsides with rock outcrops, swampy areas, and floodplains.

3. Mojave Rattlesnake

The distinction for the most venomous rattlesnake in the world goes to the Mojave rattlesnake. It is commonly found in southeastern regions of the U.S. in south Nevada, southern California, and southwest Utah.

The Mojave rattlesnake grows to a length of about 51″. You can find them in upland desert flatland supporting mesquite, creosote bush, and cacti.

Be wary of these snakes in arid lowland with sparse vegetation, grassy plains, Joshua tree forests, and rocky hills, too.

4. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

The southwestern regions of the United States from southeast California eastward to central Arkansas are the hunting grounds for this venomous snake.

The Western diamond rattlesnakes grow to a length of about 84″. They prefer arid and semiarid areas such as brush desert, rocky canyons, bluffs along rivers, and rocky foothills.

5. Speckled Rattlesnake

The chances of an encounter in the desert areas of the southwestern regions of the United States with a speckled rattlesnake is pretty certain. It grows to a maximum length of about 52″.

You will encounter this rattlesnake in rugged rocky terrain, rock outcrops, deep canyons, talus, and chaparral amid rock piles and boulders. It is also active during the day in spring and fall and active at night in the summer.

6. Pygmy Rattlesnake

Pygmy rattlesnakes grow 15 – 31″ long and ranges from eastern North Carolina to the Florida Keys, west to eastern Oklahoma, and East Texas. It prefers mixed pine-hardwood forest, sandhills, marshes, and areas near ponds.

RELATED: One Quick, Simple, & Dirty Way To Deal With Snakes

7. Massasauga

Unlike other rattlers, the massasauga has nine enlarged scales on top of its head. It ranges from northwest Pennsylvania, west to eastern Iowa, and southwest into Texas.

Keep your eyes open for this rattlesnake in dry woodlands to rocky hillsides to bogs and swamps.

8. Sidewinder

You will find the sidewinder rattlesnake in the desert areas of the southwestern regions of the United States. At about 33″ long, it travels over shifting surfaces by “sidewinding.”

It is a process by which the snake makes use of static friction to keep from slipping when crossing soft, sandy areas. It does prefer arid desert flatland with sandy washes or mesquite-crowned sand hammocks.

A trail of parallel J-shaped markings is left behind it.

Primarily nocturnal, this snake is usually encountered crossing roads and trails between sundown and midnight in the spring. During the day, it occupies mammal burrows or hides beneath bushes.

9. Black-Tailed Rattlesnake

At 28-49 inches in length, the black-tailed rattlesnake is the least venomous of the kind. They like rocky mountainous areas, usually among rimrock and limestone outcrops, wooded stony canyons, chaparral, and rocky streambeds.

It ranges from Arizona to east/central Texas and south through central Mexico.

10. Tiger Rattlesnake

At 20-36 inches long, the tiger rattlesnake is another highly-venomous pit viper snake kind. It hunts in arid rocky foothills and canyons; primarily in the ocotillo-mesquite-creosote bush and saguaro-paloverde associations.

You will also find them in central Arizona and south to Sonora, Mexico.

Other Venomous Snakes

11. Cottonmouth

You will find cottonmouth snakes in the southeastern regions of the United States. This snake mainly resides in southern Missouri to south-central Oklahoma and central Texas.

At about 75″, it is a very dangerous and aggressive snake indeed. It prefers lowland swamps, lakes, rivers, bay heads, sloughs, irrigation ditches, and small clear rocky streams.

12. Copperhead

The Eastern Copperhead roams the southeastern region of the United States from east Texas to eastern Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, the Northern Copperhead roams southwest Massachusetts to southwest Illinois, south to northeast Mississippi, north Alabama, north and central Georgia, and throughout South Carolina.

Red On Black Snake Friend Of Jack

At 53″ long, copperhead snakes prefer wooded hillsides with rock outcrops above streams or ponds and edges of swamps.

13. Western Coral Snake

Western coral snakes prefer rocky areas and plains to lower mountain slopes. But, they are also found in the rocky upland desert in arroyos and river bottoms.

The Western coral snake ranges from central Arizona to southwest New Mexico south to Mexico.

Do not confuse this poisonous snake with other harmless snake look-a-likes, like the milk snake. The coral snake has adjacent red and yellow bands.

The non-venomous species, on the other hand, has adjacent red and black bands. Remember this saying? “Red and yellow can kill a fellow, but red and black is a friend of Jack.”

14. Eastern Coral Snake

This beautiful snake ranges from southeast North Carolina to south Florida (including the Florida Keys) and west to south Texas. At about 48″ long, they pack a dangerous, even deadly venom in their tiny fangs.

It prefers moist, densely vegetated hammocks near ponds or streams in hardwood forests, pine Flatwoods, rocky hillsides, and canyons. Take note, the red and yellow bands are adjacent.

Do not confuse this poisonous snake with other harmless mimics such as the scarlet snake and scarlet kingsnake.

Again, remember this saying, “Red and yellow can kill a fellow, but red and black is a friend of Jack.”

15. Texas Coral Snake

Texas coral snakes prefer ponds or streams in hardwood forests, pine Flatwoods, rocky hillsides, and canyons. It is found in southern Arkansas, west Louisiana, and south Texas into northeast Mexico.

Like other species of coral snakes, the red and yellow bands are adjacent. Once again, remember this saying, “Red and yellow can kill a fellow, but red and black is a friend of Jack.”

This video from Tech Insider will show you how to survive a snake bite:

While the chances of dying from a snake bite are nearly zero, it’s best not to take any chance. This positive stat is also credited to the availability of antivenoms and immediate medical attention.

Snake bites can be painful and dangerous still, and you never want to be a part of that statistic. Now, with more knowledge about the venomous snakes of North America, your chances of survival just went up.

Have you encountered any of these venomous snakes before? Tell us all about your venomous snake survival experience in the comments section below:

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***Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer.***

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 26, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.