Venomous · North Carolina
Eastern Coral Snake
Micrurus fulvius
Bright red, yellow, and black rings. Extremely rare in North Carolina and associated with sandy southern Coastal Plain habitats.
Venomous. Keep your distance and do not handle. This page is a field guide, not a definitive identification service.
At a glance
Size
Usually 20-30 inches.
North Carolina range
southern coastal plain
Habitat
sandy woods, pine flatwoods
Diet
Primarily small snakes and lizards.
Pattern
rings
Venomous
Yes
How to identify it
Slender snake with complete red, yellow, and black rings; the red and yellow rings touch.
Where to look in North Carolina
Extremely rare and limited to the southern Coastal Plain.
Sandy pine woods, scrub, and flatwoods where it spends much of its time underground.
Regional maps show broad physiographic provinces, not county-level records.
Photo guide
Use the gallery to check pattern, body shape, and context—not just overall color.
