coral snake

American  

noun

1. any of numerous venomous elapid snakes, found chiefly in the New World tropics, as Micrurus fulvius eastern coral snake, of the southeastern U.S., often brilliantly marked with bands of red, yellow, and black.

2. any of several other snakes, as of the genus Calliophis, of Asia, having red markings.

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coral snake British  

noun

1. any venomous elapid snake of the genus Micrurus and related genera, of tropical and subtropical America, marked with red, black, yellow, and white transverse bands

2. any of various other brightly coloured elapid snakes of Africa and SE Asia

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Etymology

Origin of coral snake

First recorded in 1750–50

Example Sentences

This case sheds light on the coral snake interactions with prey species.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2024

Lying on her back, she stares straight past Adam’s adjacent head and into the viewer’s eyes, wholly indifferent to the deadly red-and-black striped coral snake slithering nearby.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2024

In Emsleyan/Mertensian mimicry, a deadly prey mimics a less dangerous one, such as the venomous coral snake mimicking the non-venomous milk snake.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Mtoxins even helped researchers reclassify the world’s most venomous snake from the inland taipan - which Frank keeps in Oshkosh - to the Malaysian blue coral snake.

From Washington Times • Feb. 20, 2021

A bite from a coral snake can lead to paralysis and death.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple