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Description
งูพริกท้องแดง
Calliophis bivirgata.

The Blue Coral Snake is a strikingly coloured, highly venomous elapid. This serpent is noted for having extremely long venom glands which are not restricted to the head area only, but in fact extend to a third of their body. The venom itself is highly potent, being able to trigger all nerves at once, resulting in heavy spasms and an instant paralysis of the whole body (which also gained it the title "snake with the scorpion's sting", for scorpion venom working in a similar way).

Blue Coral Snakes prey on other snakes (dangerous fellow elapids such as cobras and kraits included) and can be very easily confused with two other snakes that look similar, namely the also highly venomous Red-Headed Krait (B. flaviceps) and the harmless Red-Headed Reed Snake (C. schlegelii). It can be distinguished from the Red-Headed Krait for having brightly red coloured ventrals (the Krait's ventrals on the other hand are white) and lacking the triangular body shape typical for Kraits. The Red-Headed Reed Snake is also having a white belly in contrast and additionally lacking the red coloured tail that is present in both the Blue Coral Snake and the Red-Headed Krait.

Or, in short:
- Blue Coral Snake: Red tail, red belly, highly venomous
- Red-Headed Krait: Red tail, white belly, triangular body shape, highly venomous
- Red-Headed Reed Snake: No red tail, white belly, harmless

Their German name is "Blaue Bauchdrüsenotter", which literally translates to "blue belly-gland adder", referring to the beautiful bluish hue of their lateral stripe as well as the characteristic long venom glands. In Thai, their name refers to the striking colour of their belly that is "red like chili".

Snakes Of Thailand

Description
งูพริกท้องแดง
Calliophis bivirgata.

The Blue Coral Snake is a strikingly coloured, highly venomous elapid. This serpent is noted for having extremely long venom glands which are not restricted to the head area only, but in fact extend to a third of their body. The venom itself is highly potent, being able to trigger all nerves at once, resulting in heavy spasms and an instant paralysis of the whole body (which also gained it the title "snake with the scorpion's sting", for scorpion venom working in a similar way).

Blue Coral Snakes prey on other snakes (dangerous fellow elapids such as cobras and kraits included) and can be very easily confused with two other snakes that look similar, namely the also highly venomous Red-Headed Krait (B. flaviceps) and the harmless Red-Headed Reed Snake (C. schlegelii). It can be distinguished from the Red-Headed Krait for having brightly red coloured ventrals (the Krait's ventrals on the other hand are white) and lacking the triangular body shape typical for Kraits. The Red-Headed Reed Snake is also having a white belly in contrast and additionally lacking the red coloured tail that is present in both the Blue Coral Snake and the Red-Headed Krait.

Or, in short:
- Blue Coral Snake: Red tail, red belly, highly venomous
- Red-Headed Krait: Red tail, white belly, triangular body shape, highly venomous
- Red-Headed Reed Snake: No red tail, white belly, harmless

Their German name is "Blaue Bauchdrüsenotter", which literally translates to "blue belly-gland adder", referring to the beautiful bluish hue of their lateral stripe as well as the characteristic long venom glands. In Thai, their name refers to the striking colour of their belly that is "red like chili".

Snakes Of Thailand