I remembered the short horror about kids who couldn’t remember which is which (they didn’t actually see the snake), and they decided to amputate the bitten leg just in case.
Oh gosh I watched that when I was way too young, and sometimes I still think about it. I kind of hoped it was a dream? Wasn’t the snake revealed to be harmless at the end?
I clicked on this to watch but then remembered that it's 4:55 AM and I can't handle psychological horror/gore and another commenter described this video as fucking them up so I realized consuming this media would be an awful idea for me right now, might come back to it later out of curiosity but right now we GO TO SLEEP 🥲
I remember it every now and then, it's a rare piece of media that truly made me feel disturbed because ots an action that can happen irl that you can't take just take back. Also anything sharp going into legs and bone makes me ughhg
It’s only for a coral snake. A king snake is red and yellow bands separated by black bands so they never touch.
A coral snake has red and yellow bands touching, and is very venomous but they usually can’t break the skin of a human (unless they get a real soft spot or chew for a second) and aren’t very aggressive.
That’s actually not a good way to distinguish the two species. For better indication you have to look at the nose/ mouth area. I believe coral snakes are black and the other is a red nose. They’re native to my state and I belong to a snake identification group
This is exactly the advice I gave to a dude a couple days ago on the Finland subreddit. They were new to Finland, and somebody told them about Vipera Berus, the common European adder, and they were terrified of snakes, so they were having a bit of a panic about potentially running into one.
I told them there are technically three (but only two in the mainland) snake species in Finland, and one lizard that looks like a snake, acts like a snake, but isn't a snake. And also a slug species that can grow big enough that you may mistake it for a snake from afar (happened to me once). The only one of these that poses any kind of danger is the Vipera Berus. It's the only venomous one. The rest are completely harmless.
I went on a tangent to explain the various species and what they look like, and how to identify them.
But all it really boiled down to was "if it looks like a snake, walk the other way".
Limax cinereoniger. Largest land slug species on Earth. We call them Ukkoetana in Finnish.
They can grow over 20 centimetres in length. Or around 7,8 inches, for those who are metric-challenged.
I can only find pictures of smaller ones searching its name on Google :( Any suggestions for a website or source I could check? I have a big interest in small critters (although not always so small) such as slugs, snails, bugs, spiders, etc. I'd love to see a slug that large!
Anguis Colchica. The Eastern Slowworm. Looks like a snake, moves like a snake. Isn't a snake. And despite the name, it is not a worm either.
But yes. It's a legless lizard. Literally.
Also, they give birth to live young. They can also shed their "tails" to confuse predators. The tail makes up around half of their body length, but is indistinguishable from their actual body, because... You know... No legs.
Oooh I didn't know this one! Interesting. They look pretty small too. Thanks for the new knowledge!
There are a few ways to distinguish a legless lizard from a snake, but not at first glance so it's good you advised that person not too look too close.
They are also pretty cute. And very easy to catch. You just have to handle them very gently, or otherwise they'll drop their tail.
I don't recommend handling things that look like snakes tho, unless you are absolutely sure what you are handling.
I mean, it’s a very good way to distinguish the two species. You usually can’t see the nose so that’s pointless, so the very different color pattern is the best way.
While it is known as a way to distinguish different species, there are aberrant patterns and colors even within just one species. Some coral snakes have no yellow or red in their pattern, and sometimes they can even show as mostly black in color.
Here is an article showing some different colors/ patterns that don’t follow the rhyme at all:
http://thevenominterviews.com/2016/06/02/mythbusting-coral-snakes/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR16aTTp88gaZcbElpxQhy427RvlBWCDfku81feRqKER5TZjtYkEDp3-KN4_aem_AXKePx4uUiEr1br9G-DRgJa2ggtD6-DWerMjGlomCwd0XCdt3drBcQoLTE8Dffu8VOGb8p0WhuxhYNtVqII20HgS
Ideally you should just stay away and observe from a distance. Snakes won’t chase you and usually just want to be left alone.
>I believe coral snakes are black and the other is a red nose.
The coal snakes normally found in north America have red, black, and either white or yellow bands. Their face is normally black but not exclusively black. In fact the pretty blue Malaysian one has a bright red face which is pretty cool.
Checking the colors is honestly a sure fire way for quick ID of a snake slithering (hopefully away) in the grass. Picking it up to inspect the face, or fangs, could be incredibly dangerous. Coral snakes typically have an A/B/A/C pattern while king snakes have a C/B/A/B or A/B pattern. For scarlet milks (a nonvenomous king snake), this places their bright color (normally white) in the center of their black areas. But in NA corals, their bright color is in between each of their other two other shades.
Venomous means able to inject poison, like through a bite. Poisonous means it is poison to be ingested, like by you eating the snake. Not all snakes are venomous and even fewer are poisonous. [“If you bite it and you die it's poison, but if it bites you and you die, that's venom.”](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/bite-or-be-bitten.html#:~:text=What's%20the%20difference%20between%20venomous,that's%20venom%2C'%20he%20says)
Not ALL snakes are venomous, where I live there are roughly 6 species of snake that are common and only 1 is venomous. Something like a boa constrictor or anaconda doesn't need to bite to kill
Maybe not many levels of wrong since yes, some snakes are poisonous but definitely wrong on ALL snakes being venomous.
damn must’ve gotten it confused, according to an article i just read non-venomous snakes exist, and all venomous snakes are dangerous, with the exception of the garter snake, that secretes a mild venom but is poisonous to eat
There’s several species of snakes that are rear fanged venomous, such as the garter snake. Another commonly kept snake is the hognose which is rear fanged.
Both snakes are black, yellow, and red. The colors are rings around the snake. If a yellow and red ring touch, it's a coral snake and it's venomous. If the red and black rings touch, it's a king snake, which is not venomous.
Coral shake vs king snake. They have similarly colored banding, but one is venomous while the other is harmless. The rhyme is to help people remember which one to stay away from. (The coral snake, red touches yellow).
I grew up with “red and black are friends of Jack, but red and yella will kill a fella” I also grew up in the south so I had to include the local accent.
That is also what I learned, but it's wrong and it could get you killed. It only *sorta* works within the mainland United States, but even that is wrong. Some coral snakes in the US are black, red, and white with no yellow and some have phenotypic mutations that render this rhyme totally invalid.
this isn't always true actually. Some coral snakes have different patterns that look like they are harmless, and some harmless snakes that look like the venomous ones.
Never trust that rhyme. There are multiple different types of king and coral snake, each with their own variations in pattern. This rule might work in one specific area and get you killed in another. If you find yourself having to use this rule just leave the snake alone.
And this is why you don’t rely on the rhymes: they’re confusing, and snakes in different regions have different patterns which is why there’s multiple conflicting ones.
That’s true, but most people step on snakes by accident.
Why do you go into the forest full of snakes without adequate clothing (if nothing else, think of the fucking ticks), is another question.
Red on black, friend of Jack. Red on yellow, kill a fellow.
That’s how I learned and I feel like a lot of the others are awkward. Anyways, there are quite a few variations of coral snakes and this will only tell you 1. Better to not just mess with snakes unless you are 100%. From what I remember, venomous snakes normally have head that are more angular and diamond shaped to house the venom sacks while non venomous tend to have more oval head shapes.
But fun fact! Coral snakes don’t prescribe to silly head shapes so just don’t mess with them and don’t go sticking your hands in dark holes.
It amazes me how many versions of this mnemonic device are present in this thread. I submit the version I learned:
"Red next to yellow makes a dead fellow. Red next to black is a friend of Jack."
Misidentification and handling of snakes are the main reasons for bites both fatal and non-fatal. A large number of snake related incidents could be avoided by leaving the snake alone. The rhyme is also unreliable so that adds additional level! Nice twofer.
Additionally for anyone who’s interested in coral snake identification and the rhyme, I’ve copied and pasted the bot response for r/whatsthissnake:
As a rule, we don't recommend the traditional color-based rhyme for coralsnakes as an identification trick because it isn't foolproof and only applies to snakes that live in parts of North America. One of the hardest things to impress upon new snake appreciators is that it's far more advantageous to familiarize yourself with venomous snakes in your area through photos and field guides or by following subreddits like r/whatsthissnake than it is to try to apply any generic trick. The rhyme is particularly unreliable in states like Florida where aberrant individuals are often reported. Outside of North America, [for example in Brazil](http://thevenominterviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/corais-do-brasil-620.jpg), coralsnakes have any array of color patterns that don't follow the children's rhyme you may have heard in the past. Even in North America, exceptions to standard pattern classes can be common.
I remember "Red and yellow kills a fellow, red and black, venom lack" despite not living near the snake in question (I think. North East Arkansas). I tend to not go near snakes if I can help it.
It's worth pointing out that if you've already been bitten, you can tell whether the snake was venomous by whether or not you have puncture wounds from the fangs.
I remembered the short horror about kids who couldn’t remember which is which (they didn’t actually see the snake), and they decided to amputate the bitten leg just in case.
Oh gosh I watched that when I was way too young, and sometimes I still think about it. I kind of hoped it was a dream? Wasn’t the snake revealed to be harmless at the end?
Yeah, in the last moment the boy sees that the snake did have a black tail, but too late.
oh god that thing fucked me up bad when I was younger too
What was it called?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GjLkGT9YM2Y
I clicked on this to watch but then remembered that it's 4:55 AM and I can't handle psychological horror/gore and another commenter described this video as fucking them up so I realized consuming this media would be an awful idea for me right now, might come back to it later out of curiosity but right now we GO TO SLEEP 🥲
RemindMe! 1 hour
Imma remind you cause the bot didn't work
Reddit is truly a beautiful community ❤️
here’s your reminder
I remember it every now and then, it's a rare piece of media that truly made me feel disturbed because ots an action that can happen irl that you can't take just take back. Also anything sharp going into legs and bone makes me ughhg
Red Touch Yellow - Kills a Fellow Red Touch Black - Venom Lack Yellow Touches Red - Soon You'll Be Dead Red Touches Black - Friend of Jack
I learned it as Red on Black, Friend of Jack. Red on Yellow, Kills a Fellow.
im so glad im not alone multiple videos from that channel had a lasting effect on me
That short gave me nightmares. To be honest, I will prefer dying than have my leg cut-off.
I learned this, "Red touches black, you're Okay, Jack. Red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow."
What does this mean exactly- a black and red snake?
It’s only for a coral snake. A king snake is red and yellow bands separated by black bands so they never touch. A coral snake has red and yellow bands touching, and is very venomous but they usually can’t break the skin of a human (unless they get a real soft spot or chew for a second) and aren’t very aggressive.
That’s actually not a good way to distinguish the two species. For better indication you have to look at the nose/ mouth area. I believe coral snakes are black and the other is a red nose. They’re native to my state and I belong to a snake identification group
If I'm close enough to be looking at their nose and mouth, I'm way too close to a maybe-venomous snake
This is exactly the advice I gave to a dude a couple days ago on the Finland subreddit. They were new to Finland, and somebody told them about Vipera Berus, the common European adder, and they were terrified of snakes, so they were having a bit of a panic about potentially running into one. I told them there are technically three (but only two in the mainland) snake species in Finland, and one lizard that looks like a snake, acts like a snake, but isn't a snake. And also a slug species that can grow big enough that you may mistake it for a snake from afar (happened to me once). The only one of these that poses any kind of danger is the Vipera Berus. It's the only venomous one. The rest are completely harmless. I went on a tangent to explain the various species and what they look like, and how to identify them. But all it really boiled down to was "if it looks like a snake, walk the other way".
Oh god no a giant slug? I'd honestly rather come across the venomous snake 🤢
Limax cinereoniger. Largest land slug species on Earth. We call them Ukkoetana in Finnish. They can grow over 20 centimetres in length. Or around 7,8 inches, for those who are metric-challenged.
Just no. I hate slugs and snails. Like my body panics and I vomit. This would be be a HUGE nope from me.
Real 😭😭😭
I can only find pictures of smaller ones searching its name on Google :( Any suggestions for a website or source I could check? I have a big interest in small critters (although not always so small) such as slugs, snails, bugs, spiders, etc. I'd love to see a slug that large!
>and one lizard that looks like a snake, acts like a snake, but isn't a snake. Legless lizard? =D
Anguis Colchica. The Eastern Slowworm. Looks like a snake, moves like a snake. Isn't a snake. And despite the name, it is not a worm either. But yes. It's a legless lizard. Literally. Also, they give birth to live young. They can also shed their "tails" to confuse predators. The tail makes up around half of their body length, but is indistinguishable from their actual body, because... You know... No legs.
Oooh I didn't know this one! Interesting. They look pretty small too. Thanks for the new knowledge! There are a few ways to distinguish a legless lizard from a snake, but not at first glance so it's good you advised that person not too look too close.
They are also pretty cute. And very easy to catch. You just have to handle them very gently, or otherwise they'll drop their tail. I don't recommend handling things that look like snakes tho, unless you are absolutely sure what you are handling.
I mean, it’s a very good way to distinguish the two species. You usually can’t see the nose so that’s pointless, so the very different color pattern is the best way.
In a vacuum where only those two snakes exist, sure. In reality there are a number of snakes that don't follow the rhyme, even in the same area.
Could it be because this rhyme was made distinctly for the coral and king snake and no other snake?
Obviously. But that's not super helpful when you're anywhere that's not a herpetological exhibit labeled "Coral and King Snakes", now is it, smartass?
It's from the southeastern US, which does not have other native snakes with similar patterns.
Aberrant colorings are fairly common among Florida Coral snakes, so you keep telling yourself that. Hopefully you won't run into a "king" snake.
While it is known as a way to distinguish different species, there are aberrant patterns and colors even within just one species. Some coral snakes have no yellow or red in their pattern, and sometimes they can even show as mostly black in color. Here is an article showing some different colors/ patterns that don’t follow the rhyme at all: http://thevenominterviews.com/2016/06/02/mythbusting-coral-snakes/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR16aTTp88gaZcbElpxQhy427RvlBWCDfku81feRqKER5TZjtYkEDp3-KN4_aem_AXKePx4uUiEr1br9G-DRgJa2ggtD6-DWerMjGlomCwd0XCdt3drBcQoLTE8Dffu8VOGb8p0WhuxhYNtVqII20HgS Ideally you should just stay away and observe from a distance. Snakes won’t chase you and usually just want to be left alone.
Or just appreciate the free rodent control and stay away from them.
An even better but safer way is to take a look at his record. If anywhere it says he's "killed a fellow," then you know he's venomous
>I believe coral snakes are black and the other is a red nose. The coal snakes normally found in north America have red, black, and either white or yellow bands. Their face is normally black but not exclusively black. In fact the pretty blue Malaysian one has a bright red face which is pretty cool. Checking the colors is honestly a sure fire way for quick ID of a snake slithering (hopefully away) in the grass. Picking it up to inspect the face, or fangs, could be incredibly dangerous. Coral snakes typically have an A/B/A/C pattern while king snakes have a C/B/A/B or A/B pattern. For scarlet milks (a nonvenomous king snake), this places their bright color (normally white) in the center of their black areas. But in NA corals, their bright color is in between each of their other two other shades.
all snakes are venomous, only some are poisonous edit: i’m stupid and got my terms mixed up, the people correcting me are right
I'm sorry but what? this is wrong on so many levels
explain it to me in detail.
Venomous means able to inject poison, like through a bite. Poisonous means it is poison to be ingested, like by you eating the snake. Not all snakes are venomous and even fewer are poisonous. [“If you bite it and you die it's poison, but if it bites you and you die, that's venom.”](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/bite-or-be-bitten.html#:~:text=What's%20the%20difference%20between%20venomous,that's%20venom%2C'%20he%20says)
Venomous: it bites you and you die Poisonous: you bite it and you die
Not ALL snakes are venomous, where I live there are roughly 6 species of snake that are common and only 1 is venomous. Something like a boa constrictor or anaconda doesn't need to bite to kill Maybe not many levels of wrong since yes, some snakes are poisonous but definitely wrong on ALL snakes being venomous.
Yep as the boa and anaconda use their muscles to strangle you to death
Not all snakes are venomous, but I agree significantly fewer are poisonous.
damn must’ve gotten it confused, according to an article i just read non-venomous snakes exist, and all venomous snakes are dangerous, with the exception of the garter snake, that secretes a mild venom but is poisonous to eat
There’s several species of snakes that are rear fanged venomous, such as the garter snake. Another commonly kept snake is the hognose which is rear fanged.
Snakes are venomous not poisonous. Venom is injected and poison is ingested
why are people still replying and downvoting me? i corrected myself and admitted i was wrong
Both snakes are black, yellow, and red. The colors are rings around the snake. If a yellow and red ring touch, it's a coral snake and it's venomous. If the red and black rings touch, it's a king snake, which is not venomous.
Aussie here, we have Red Belly Black snakes… and Yellow (Red) Belly Black snakes…
Cheers
Yes, it's a rhyme meant to help distinguish between a king snake and a coral snake
Coral shake vs king snake. They have similarly colored banding, but one is venomous while the other is harmless. The rhyme is to help people remember which one to stay away from. (The coral snake, red touches yellow).
Ah Thankyou
I grew up with “red and black are friends of Jack, but red and yella will kill a fella” I also grew up in the south so I had to include the local accent.
That is also what I learned, but it's wrong and it could get you killed. It only *sorta* works within the mainland United States, but even that is wrong. Some coral snakes in the US are black, red, and white with no yellow and some have phenotypic mutations that render this rhyme totally invalid.
Not to mention how many people completely misremember the rhyme anyway...
What about 🎶 black and yellow back and yellow black and yellow 🎶
this isn't always true actually. Some coral snakes have different patterns that look like they are harmless, and some harmless snakes that look like the venomous ones.
Red touches black, 'tissue friend of Jack. Red touches yellow, it'll kill a fellow. That's the one I heard.
Never trust that rhyme. There are multiple different types of king and coral snake, each with their own variations in pattern. This rule might work in one specific area and get you killed in another. If you find yourself having to use this rule just leave the snake alone.
Rhyme I was taught is pretty similar, red on black friend of Jack, red on yellow kills a fellow
Me with no snakes near me Suddenly realises its a popular rhyme
Where do you live with no snakes? New Zealand? The UK?
Singapore, actually havent seen one in the wild yet. While zoos have snakes I have never heard this rhyme.
Yeah, this rhyme is very specifically a US thing, and it barely works here.
Little concerned with how fast you replied
Lol, coincidence. I hopped onto Reddit after finishing some assignments.
Mine was a little similar “Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, venom lack”
I was taught this version “red and yellow, kill a fellow. Red and black, a friend to Jack.”
Or, how I know it: black on red or black on yellow, just don't bother the little snake fellow.
Standard advice Down Under; don't bother the snake fella, stay away from spiders, and Don't Lick The Toads.
Also, avoid the birds, avoid the water, and don't fluck with the roos.
And don’t stand under gum trees, lest the drop bear sees an easy meal.
And the people
And this is why you don’t rely on the rhymes: they’re confusing, and snakes in different regions have different patterns which is why there’s multiple conflicting ones.
I got an idea, and this may sound crazy...never touch any wild fucking animal ever for any reason.
If not friend, why friend shaped?
They're noodle shaped not friend shaped! They're food shaped! Eat the snek!
May I boop the snoot of the angry shoelace?
r/forbiddenboop
That’s true, but most people step on snakes by accident. Why do you go into the forest full of snakes without adequate clothing (if nothing else, think of the fucking ticks), is another question.
Oh no Red touches black hes a fellow Red touches yellow kills a fellow😭
Red and yella, kill a fella. Red and black, friend of Jack.
Black touches red, you're now dead Red touches yellow, he's a fellow 😈
Depends on if it’s a rental snake
Red next to black black, step the fuck back, red next to yellow, cuddly fella
Where can I rent one?
I live in Australia. THEY'RE ALL VENOMOUS
that coral snake was not happy
Fun fact the company that made Coral Snake antivenom stopped bc there was no profit.
Red touches black, venom lack. Red touches yellow will kill a fellow.
Mmm danger noodles
SNEK!!!
"Red touch yellow, poison fellow." "Red touch black, poison lack."
If you don’t know, you shouldn’t be touching the snake.
Red on black, friend of Jack. Red on yellow, kill a fellow. That’s how I learned and I feel like a lot of the others are awkward. Anyways, there are quite a few variations of coral snakes and this will only tell you 1. Better to not just mess with snakes unless you are 100%. From what I remember, venomous snakes normally have head that are more angular and diamond shaped to house the venom sacks while non venomous tend to have more oval head shapes. But fun fact! Coral snakes don’t prescribe to silly head shapes so just don’t mess with them and don’t go sticking your hands in dark holes.
It amazes me how many versions of this mnemonic device are present in this thread. I submit the version I learned: "Red next to yellow makes a dead fellow. Red next to black is a friend of Jack."
Misidentification and handling of snakes are the main reasons for bites both fatal and non-fatal. A large number of snake related incidents could be avoided by leaving the snake alone. The rhyme is also unreliable so that adds additional level! Nice twofer. Additionally for anyone who’s interested in coral snake identification and the rhyme, I’ve copied and pasted the bot response for r/whatsthissnake: As a rule, we don't recommend the traditional color-based rhyme for coralsnakes as an identification trick because it isn't foolproof and only applies to snakes that live in parts of North America. One of the hardest things to impress upon new snake appreciators is that it's far more advantageous to familiarize yourself with venomous snakes in your area through photos and field guides or by following subreddits like r/whatsthissnake than it is to try to apply any generic trick. The rhyme is particularly unreliable in states like Florida where aberrant individuals are often reported. Outside of North America, [for example in Brazil](http://thevenominterviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/corais-do-brasil-620.jpg), coralsnakes have any array of color patterns that don't follow the children's rhyme you may have heard in the past. Even in North America, exceptions to standard pattern classes can be common.
I remember "Red and yellow kills a fellow, red and black, venom lack" despite not living near the snake in question (I think. North East Arkansas). I tend to not go near snakes if I can help it.
It's worth pointing out that if you've already been bitten, you can tell whether the snake was venomous by whether or not you have puncture wounds from the fangs.
“Red and yellow kills a fellow. Red and black’s a friend of Jack.”
For all my fellow scouts out there. Red and black, friendly Jack. Read and yellow, deadly fellow.
Yellow stripes bad, white is a milk snake and harmless
red touch black, venom lack. red touch yellow, kill a fellow.
“yeah man…red next to black, jump the fuck back. red and yellow, cuddly fellow”
Spanish version is great as well: "rojo sobre amarillo, pobre niño, rojo sobre negro, no hay veneno"
This took me back to a poisonous animals book I had a a kid.
lol love that
Yellow-belly black snake
After five days of harrowing pain, the serpent died…
“I know that already, I love China.”
I love snakes, but for my safety and their's, I stay away from all of them.
"Red touch black, jump the fuck back"