Variable coral snake facts for kids
The variable coral snake (scientific name: Micrurus diastema) is a type of snake. It is a venomous snake, meaning it can inject poison. This snake belongs to the Elapidae family, which includes other famous snakes like cobras. You can only find this snake in certain areas. It lives in southeastern Mexico and northern Central America. Scientists have found seven different kinds, or subspecies, of this snake.
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Where the Variable Coral Snake Lives
The variable coral snake lives in warm, tropical places. You can find it in wet, moist, and dry forests. These forests are found in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. It lives from areas near the sea up to about 1,250 meters (4,100 feet) high.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
The variable coral snake lays eggs. This means it is an egg-laying animal. The baby snakes hatch from these eggs.
Different Types of Variable Coral Snakes
There are seven different types, or subspecies, of the variable coral snake. Each subspecies is a slightly different version of the same snake. One of these is the original type, called the nominotypical subspecies.
Here are the recognized subspecies:
- Micrurus diastema affinis
- Micrurus diastema aglaeope
- Micrurus diastema alienus
- Micrurus diastema apiatus
- Micrurus diastema diastema
- Micrurus diastema macdougalli
- Micrurus diastema sapperi
What Do the Names Mean?
Some of the subspecies are named after people. For example, the subspecies macdougalli is named after a naturalist named Thomas Baillie MacDougall. A naturalist is someone who studies nature.
Another subspecies, sapperi, is named after a German explorer. His name was Karl Theodor Sapper.
See also
In Spanish: Serpiente de coral variable para niños
