Many species of coral snakes live in the temperate climate of the southeastern and southwestern United States, including Texas and Arizona. Other species live in Central and South America, India, Thailand and China.
Coral snakes (not to be mistaken for king or milk snakes) live where the temperatures are warm and vary insignificantly between seasons. They are extremely venomous, and their venom is a neurotoxin (a poison affects the nervous system). A person who is bitten by one of these snakes will find that breathing quickly becomes impossible, and major organs such as the heart begin to shut down.
Despite their reputation, coral snakes rarely bite humans. They only attack when stepped on or handled. Because of an anti-venom developed in the 1960s, there have been no reported deaths due to coral snakes since that time.
