About the Texas Coral Snake Drawing
I have captured a few Texas Coral Snakes (Micrurus tener) and encountered considerably more over the years, although never very many. They are remarkably secretive and spend much of their lives hidden, so finding one usually means being fortunate enough to see it while it is out and actively moving.
When restrained, Texas Coral Snakes can become surprisingly vigorous, thrashing and repeatedly attempting to bite. Of course, you can’t blame them. Their venom primarily affects the nervous system and can produce serious effects, but bites are extremely uncommon and usually occur when someone deliberately handles the snake. Their diet consists largely of other small reptiles, especially snakes. One of my most memorable encounters involved a Texas Coral Snake that had eaten a Scarlet Snake – one of the harmless species whose coloration resembles its own. The coral snake had consumed one of its mimics.
In Scarlet Secret, I wanted to emphasize the remarkable brilliant warning coloration possessed by this species. The close composition concentrates attention on the glossy scales and vivid red, yellow, and black bands – an unmistakable visual signal on an animal that is rarely seen at all.
Scarlet Secret is a colored pencil Texas Coral Snake drawing by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art. Reference photograph courtesy of W. W. Lamar.