While researching my last post about “Blue Coral,” I came across the topic “Blue Coral Snake.” The latter has nothing to do with "Blue Coral," but this snake does belong to the family that includes the strikingly banded and venomous "coral snakes" that live around and in coral reefs. The Blue Coral Snake, which lives in jungles, has electric blue stripes and a neon-red head. Its slender body, which can be up to 5 feet long, is blue/black with cobalt blue scales. Its tail and belly can be orange. All of this vibrant coloration serves as a warning to predators.
The Latinized name of this snake is Calliophis bivirgatus. It lives in dense rainforests at 300 to 3,600 feet elevation, in southeast Asia (Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, and other neighboring regions). This snake is venomous, and its venom is extremely potent. It can cause paralysis and respiratory failure. Calliophis bivirgatus belongs to the family Elapidae, which includes cobras and sea snakes. The blue coral snake can prey on young king cobras.
The blue coral snake is timid and primarily nocturnal. It eats other snakes, as well as small lizards. Its has specialized teeth that curve backward, thereby holding onto its prey. It venom glands, which are located behind its eyes, are the biggest venom glands in the world. Its venom can be fatal to humans, and there is currently no anti-venom. This venom is like that of most other deadly snakes, it that it can cause its prey to instantly freeze with muscle spasms (cramps). Its venom is similar to that of some spiders and scorpions, as well as to cone snails (e.g., Conus geographus---see my April 22, 2019 blog post on “Cone shells Past and Present.”
This snake has a defensive position that mimics cobras, i.e. its flattens the neck and raises its forebody off the ground. Females are larger than the male. This snake can live up to 20 years.
References Consulted
facts.net/nauture/animals
businessinsider.com/blue-coral-snake-venom
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