The rhyme to differentiate coral snakes from king snakes could get you killed

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Originally published at: The rhyme to differentiate coral snakes from king snakes could get you killed | Boing Boing

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Or don’t dig through humus with your hands if you live in a coral snake species’ range. That’s pretty much what you have to do to be bitten by this shy, nocturnal group of snakes.

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My personal, 100% fool-proof rhyme:

If it looks like a snek,
Run like feck.

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Red next to black, jump the fuck back
Red and yella, cuddly fella

That’s how it goes, yeah?

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“Oh! Ah! A snake…oh wait. There was a song with snakes in it to let you know if it is dangerous. How does it go? Uhh… what was it?”

(starts humming in head)

Well - that wasn’t helpful at all!

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The “vessel with the pestle / chalice with the palace / flagon with the dragon” rhyme is still valid, however (if I could just remember it correctly):

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Then you also have the California Kingsnake, which is basically the same thing except slightly longer and slightly narrower than a standard Kingsnake.

…or was that a California King mattress?

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What I learned from a park ranger is that 99% of coral snake bites are from people wanting to pick up the pretty snake. Personally it was water moccasins and diamond backs were the two to worry about, especially since I had a pond and a creek running thru my property.

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My rhyme:

No touch funny stick lizard.

The end.

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Is it a wild animal? Leave it the fuck alone.

Huh, doesn’t rhyme though…

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Most of our local snakes are not venomous. However my grandmother was afraid of them. I remember walking ahead of the group with a stick and making airborne snakes so that they would not be in her path.

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'Cause yer the fuckin' idiot standing in its home.

Just needed the second line…

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Here in Australia the rule is very easy to remember:

It’s a snake. it’s very likely to kill you. LEAVE IT THE FUCK ALONE!!

Rule also applies to pretty much every animal down to “some of the sheep”

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