Arizona Coral Snakes

(Micruroides euryxanthus)

Description:
13-21" (33-53.3 cm). Blunt-snouted and glossy, with alternating wide red, wide black, and narrow yellow or white rings encircling the body. Head uniformly black to angle of jaw. Scales smooth, in 15 rows. Anal plate divided.
Breeding:
Habits poorly known; presumably lays clutch of 2 or 3 eggs in late summer.
Habitat:
Rocky areas, plains to lower mountain slopes; rocky upland desert especially in arroyos and river bottoms; sea level to 5,900' (1,800 m).
Range:
C. Arizona to sw. New Mexico south to Sinaloa, Mexico.
Subspecies: Three; 1 in our range, M. e. euryxanthus.

Do not handle! Venom is highly dangerous. This snake emerges from a subterranean retreat at night, usually during or following a warm shower. When disturbed by a predator, it buries its head in its coils, raises and exposes the underside of its tail, and may evert its cloacal lining wit a popping sound. Eats blind snakes, other small snakes.

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