Common False Coral Snake

At first glance it looks like a coral snake, but this is a false one. 

This is the Common False Coral snake (Erythrolamprus aesculapii aesculapii), we spotted this one crawling on the neatly mowed grass near the Inspiration lodge, Kabalebo. It was 'discovered' by the cleaning ladies, an event that surely is funny in real life. One of them shouted that there was a big snake near the lodge so we ran to 'meet' this enormous fellow. Turned out to be a small sample of 40 cm. But what a beauty! Just look at the colors. 

This False Coral Snake usually hunts during the night and its habitat is found under loose soil or leaf litter in the forest. It probably headed back to its resting place after a night out. 

These snakes are hunting mainly on lizards, insects, frogs, worms or small snakes. 

As this Common False Coral Snake probably had a long active night it was in a hurry to return to its hiding place. This also explains why it also was a bit agitated when we were trying to take some pictures. This False Coral Snake is mildly venemous.

Here you can see the difference between a false coral snake (top) and a real coral snake (bottom). 
The false coral snake (in this case the Erythrolamprus aesculapii aesculapii) has 2 black bands that are separated by 1 white band. Also it has a white snout.
The real coral snake (in this case the Micrurus hemprichii hemprichii) has 3 black bands being separated by 2 white bands. And it has a black snout. 
The latter is very venemous and one bite can be fatal for an adult person. 

You may also like the following posts:

Emerald Tree Boa

Lunching at Kabalebo