What Is the Environment of a Coral Snake?

Coral snakes are a large group of venomous snakes that are represented by two major subgroups: the old world coral snake, which lives in tropical areas throughout India and Southeast Asia; and the new world coral snake, which lives primarily in the Southeastern United States. Coral snakes generally prefer to live in tropical or subtropical regions.

  1. Old World Coral Snake

    • There are 11 distinct species of old world coral snake, which differentiated largely due to their wide geographic distribution. Examples include the blue Malayan coral snake, which is dark blue with a red head and the banded Malayan coral snake.

    Old World Coral Snake Environment

    • The old world coral snake is found throughout India and Southeast Asia. The tropical climate of these areas is well suited to the coral snake. Within these tropical areas, coral snakes tend to inhabit forest floors or similar man-made environments such as parks and gardens, bringing them into dangerous proximity to humans.

    New World Coral Snake

    • The new world coral snake is very familiar to residents of the Southeastern United States. Because of the prevalence of snakes that mimic the red, black and yellow markings of the coral snake, a saying was developed to distinguish between the venomous coral snake and non-venomous mimicking snakes: "Red on yellow, kill a fellow; Red on black, friend to Jack."

    New World Coral Snake Environment

    • The new world coral snake lives in a variety of habitats, primarily in the Southeastern United States. Coral snakes can be found in dry flatwood and scrub areas, or low-lying areas near the edges of swamps. While coral snakes generally tend to hide under brush and debris, they have been found in the open and even climbing the trunks of oak trees.