The coral snakes (Micrurus) are a genus of about 65 snake species, found in tropical South America and southern USA. They are venomous and related to Old World cobras. Most notable are their red, yellow and black colored bands.
The most well-known species is the Western Coral Snake (Micruroides euryxanthus), found in the Sonora desert and northern Mexico.
Coralsnakes can be distinguished from a number of similarly colored harmless snakes by the fact that they are the only ones with red bands touching yellow ones.
The venom of coralsnakes, like that of cobras, acts on the nervous system and causes paralysis; the mortality rate among humans who are bitten is high.
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