[1][2] While new world species of both genera are venomous, their bites are seldom lethal; only two confirmed fatalities have been documented in the past 100 years from the genus Micrurus.

[3] Experts now recognize that certain coloration patterns and common mnemonics—such as the phrase “Red against yellow, deadly fellow; red against black, friendly Jack,” which people sometimes use to distinguish between the venomous coral snake and the non-venomous milksnake—are not consistent enough to be trustworthy.

Furthermore, the mnemonic is not consistently accurate for North American coral snake species found south of the U.S., either.

To complicate the issue more, the South American tricolored hognose snake (Xenodon pulcher) has repeated bands of red-black-white-black, imitating the coral snake as a defense mechanism, with the key visual difference being their upturned snout (used for burrowing).

Coral snakes vary widely in their behavior, but most are very elusive, fossorial (burrowing) snakes which spend most of their time buried beneath the ground or in the leaf litter of a rainforest floor, coming to the surface only when it rains or during breeding season.

Some species, like Micrurus surinamensis, are almost entirely aquatic and spend most of their lives in slow-moving bodies of water that have dense vegetation.

Approximately 37 days post fertilization oviposition occurs and the average clutch size ranges from five to seven eggs.

With increasing temperatures as a result of climate change, continuous cycles have the possibility of becoming more prevalent.

Coral snakes are found in scattered localities in the southern coastal plains from North Carolina to Louisiana, including all of Florida.

It occupies arid and semiarid regions in many different habitat types, including thornscrub, desert-scrub, woodland, grassland and farmland.

However, relatively few bites are recorded due to their reclusive nature and the fact they generally inhabit sparsely populated areas.

According to the American National Institutes of Health, there are an average of 15–25 coral snake bites in the United States each year.

Historically, the venom of the North American Micrurus and Micruroides species was believed to contain powerful neurotoxins which could paralyze the breathing muscles, requiring mechanical or artificial respiration.

It was usually reported that there was only mild pain associated with a bite and that respiratory failure could occur and onset of clinical symptoms may be delayed for as much as 10 to 18 hours.

[19] Coral Snake venom contains a neurotoxic component and symptoms include pain from the bite, sialorrhea, paresthesia, ptosis, weakness, blurred vision, paralysis, fasciculation and diplopia.