Welcome our Coral Cobra

Well it was 6 months ago I spoke that my wife probably would never want to start working with Elapids, but as it turns out she was partial to one of my favorite species when I brought it up, Aspidelaps lubricus cowlesi.

Four years ago in a friends shop in tomball, I saw this beautiful snake that I had admired in textbooks for years, the coral cobra. He offered to sell it to me, but I passed knowing that my time with Elapids was minimal and I was not in a place for adding one. . . Well time went on and this species hit the venomous boards fairly local to me and I had to ask where it came from. Turns out it was the same snake! I brought it to my wife along with a bite protocol and LD50 reports and let her decide if it was ok to add to the hots. She agreed and the deal was made!

Cape Coral Cobra, also called shield-nosed snakes and African Coral Snakes, are members of the Elapid family and neurotoxic. They are a small growing coral snake that is a mock cobra in some senses but very closely related in others. Unlike Naja, however, these snakes have an extremely low bite rate and are not considered a lethal bite. The downside is there is no anti-venom available for the species so systemic treatment is the only thing that can be done. Like other neuros it's bite progresses from sweats to swelling, from swelling to paralysis. The largest issue is if the paralysis makes it to the lungs which can kill a person quite fast. Fortunately, people who have been bit are typically released in 12-24 hours with no long term effects. Risks are still there though, and everyone reacts differently.

Remember, there really is no such thing as a beginner hot. It does not matter if it's a copperhead, a monocled cobra, or a rattlesnake, the most dangerous snake to keep is the venomous one that just bit you.

Better images to come.

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A very bad pic. But the only good hood up shot I have so far.


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Pretty critter - and I will admire from a safe distance.

Yowza! That's a 'hot' looking snake. ...sorry, bad reptile humor.

Still a beautiful animal. I want a Sunset Monocle Cobra...but the hubby says 'no'. ;) He's right though, I'm not experienced enough to do hot snakes, and certainly not a cobra.

I will stick to my hognose for my venomous snakes.

Congrats on that beauty!

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Originally Posted by piedlover79

Yowza! That's a 'hot' looking snake. ...sorry, bad reptile humor.

Still a beautiful animal. I want a Sunset Monocle Cobra...but the hubby says 'no'. ;) He's right though, I'm not experienced enough to do hot snakes, and certainly not a cobra.

I will stick to my hognose for my venomous snakes.

Congrats on that beauty!

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Read the full description. It's not a true Naja (cobra) but a mocker - but a true elapid indeed. It is a coral snake but named as a cobra due to its defense that makes it stand up.

Beautiful little animal! Keep us posted!

Handsome looking rodent killer! Congrats. Do they differ from micrurus tener and micrurus fulvius by other things than just coloration? They (Aspidelaps lubricus cowelesi) don't seem to have the red to yellow distinction as your typical coral snake.

Outstanding looking animal!

Albert. Not all coral snakes are defined as red and yellow. There are species in Ecuador that are completely black and white. Meanwhile in Honduras the corals are either Tri-colored or bi-colored. This guy is bi-colored more like the Roatan coral snake. Here is an example of two snakes I photographed in Honduras just over a month ago, one will kill you, one won't:

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Meanwhile, our guy is settling quite well. He was formerly kept in a tub system so I guess glass Windows are new for him because he definitely lets you know he's in there when you walk up to him. :)

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Thanks. So obviously the old adage " red to yellow kill a fellow red to black venom lack" doesn't always apply. Wow! Thanks again.

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Thanks. So obviously the old adage " red to yellow kill a fellow red to black venom lack" doesn't always apply. Wow! Thanks again.

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Not Eve in the states since a long nosed snake has red touching yellow! The rules are a good memory aid but in the end if you are using rhymes best to leave the suspicious ones alone. A buddy of mine in Honduras nearly died due to someone telling him a coral snake was a milk snake. The only way to tell the difference externally is by checking the scales between the nostril and eye. 2 would make it a Micrurus and 3 makes it lampropeltus.




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