Citing Evidence 3: The Coral Snake
ANSWER KEY
The Coral Snake
By Lili Pabst
“Red touch yellow, kill a fellow…red touch black, friend of Jack.” This may sound like
a simple rhyme, but it isn’t. It is actually a warning for people who stumble upon yellow,
black, and red snakes. This rhyme describes the skin patterns of two similar looking, but
very different snakes. If the red band is touching the black band (and not the yellow band),
it is most likely the nonvenomous scarlet king snake. However, if the red band on the
snake’s skin is touching the yellow band (and not the black band), the snake is most likely a
deadly coral snake!
A bite from the coral snake can be deadly. At first, there may be little to no pain or
swelling. This lack of pain can often cause the bitten person to assume that all is well.
However, symptoms of a coral snake bite may not start to show until 12 hours after the
bite occurs. Once the venom begins working, it disrupts the connection between the brain
and the muscles. This causes slurred speech and double vision. The bite victim may also
experience muscular paralysis, the loss of muscle movement. This muscular paralysis can
cause the bite victim to stop breathing or have a deadly heart attack. In order to avoid
experiencing any of these horrible reactions, bite victims should seek medical help
immediately.
Coral snakes live in wooded, sandy, and marshy areas, and spend most of their lives
burrowed underground or in leaf piles. They only bite humans when handled or stepped
on. The coral snake must chew on their victim to fully inject its venom. Most bite victims
don’t stay still long enough for the snake to chew, so most bites to humans don't result in
death. In fact, no deaths from coral snake bites have been reported in the U.S. since an
antivenom was released in 1967.
Question# 1: Why is it important to seek help immediately if you think you
have been bitten by a coral snake? Use evidence from the text to support your
answer.
Answers may vary but should include:
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Coral snake bites can be deadly.
Coral snake bites may not hurt or swell for up to 12 hours.
The snake’s venom causes disruption between the brain and the muscles.
This disruption can cause slurred speech, double vision, and muscular paralysis. The
muscular paralysis can cause the victim to stop breathing or have a heart attack.
 In order to avoid experiencing any of these horrible reactions, bite victims should seek
medical help immediately.
Question# 2: Why don’t the majority of coral snake bites result in death? Use
evidence from the text to support your answer.
Answers may vary but should include:
 The coral snake must chew on its victim to fully inject its venom.
 Most bite victims won’t stay still for this long.
 There is also an antivenom.
Question# 3: How does the rhyme help identify the deadly coral snake from
other nonvenomous snakes? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
Answers may vary but should include:
 The rhyme helps a person distinguish between the coral snake and the nonvenomous,
yet similar looking scarlet king snake.
 Both snakes have stripes of the same colors on their skin, but the pattern of the color
indicates which one is deadly and which one is not.
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Copyri ght © 2014 by Wri te Score LLC