Is the Variegated False Coral Snake venomous?

No. The Variegated False Coral Snake (Pliocercus elapoides) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.

Is the Variegated False Coral Snake poisonous?

Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Variegated False Coral Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.

Is the Variegated False Coral Snake dangerous?

The Variegated False Coral Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.

Where does the Variegated False Coral Snake live?

The Variegated False Coral Snake has verified records in 10 countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras. See the distribution section below for its full range.

Colubridae

Variegated False Coral Snake

Harmless

Pliocercus elapoides

Variegated False Coral Snake — Pliocercus elapoides, © Arabella Willing

6 photographs of the Variegated False Coral Snake. © Arabella Willing.

The Variegated False Coral Snake (Pliocercus elapoides) is a non-venomous snake in the Colubridae family, recorded in 10 countries.

Family: Colubridae

About the Variegated False Coral Snake

Pliocercus elapoides, also known commonly as the variegated false coral snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to southern North America and northern Central America. There are four recognized subspecies.

Geographic range

P. elapoides is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and southeastern Mexico.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. elapoides is forest.

Description

Resembling a venomous coral snake, P. elapoides has a dorsal color pattern of red, black, and yellow rings. The red scales are tipped with black.

Behavior

P. elapoides is nocturnal, terrestrial and semi-fossorial.

Reproduction

P. elapoides is oviparous.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

Pliocercus elapoides aequalis Salvin, 1861

Pliocercus elapoides diastema (Bocourt, 1886)

Pliocercus elapoides elapoides Cope, 1860

Pliocercus elapoides occidentalis H.M. Smith & Landy, 1965

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Pliocercus.

Adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

Frequently asked: Variegated False Coral Snake

Is the Variegated False Coral Snake venomous?: No. The Variegated False Coral Snake (Pliocercus elapoides) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.
Is the Variegated False Coral Snake poisonous?: Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Variegated False Coral Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.
Is the Variegated False Coral Snake dangerous?: The Variegated False Coral Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
Where does the Variegated False Coral Snake live?: The Variegated False Coral Snake has verified records in 10 countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras. See the distribution section below for its full range.

Where it is found

Mexico Guatemala Honduras Belize El Salvador Costa Rica Nicaragua Brazil Panama United States of America

More Colubridae snakes

Classification

How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.

OrderThe broad group of scaled reptiles: all snakes and lizards: Squamata
FamilyA group of related snakes that share key traits: Colubridae
GenusA close-knit group of very similar species: Pliocercus
SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name: Pliocercus elapoides

Keep learning

Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Background: Wikipedia. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.