How to Identify the Uruguayan Coral Snake (Identification Guide)
The Uruguayan Coral Snake is a southern South American elapid identified by its red, black, and white ring pattern and slender, glossy body.
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Key identifying features
The Uruguayan Coral Snake (Micrurus altirostris) is a slender elapid found in Uruguay and neighboring parts of southern Brazil and northern Argentina, identified by complete tricolor rings and a slightly upturned snout that aids its burrowing lifestyle. This combination of banding pattern and snout shape helps distinguish it within its regional range.
Coloration & pattern
The body pattern consists of red bands alternating with black bands, each black band bordered by narrow white rings, producing the classic triad arrangement of true coral snakes. The red bands tend to be broad and vivid, while the black bands remain crisp, and the thin white rings create sharp contrast. This banding is continuous around the entire body, including the ventral surface.
Head, eyes & scales
The head is small and only slightly wider than the neck, with a somewhat pointed or upturned snout adapted for pushing through loose soil and leaf litter, a subtle but useful identification trait for this species. The snout area is typically black, extending back over the crown before the first pale ring begins. Eyes are small and dark. Scales are smooth and glossy, contributing to a sleek, polished body surface.
Size & body shape
This is a moderately slender species with a fairly consistent body diameter, tapering to a short tail. Adults commonly reach lengths of about 40 to 70 centimeters, making it one of the smaller true coral snakes in its region. The body shape is elongated and cylindrical, consistent with a semi-fossorial existence.
Range & habitat where you'll see it
The Uruguayan Coral Snake occurs in Uruguay, southern Brazil, and northeastern Argentina, favoring grassland, scrub, and forest-edge habitats with loose or sandy soils suitable for burrowing. It is secretive and rarely seen in the open, typically found beneath leaf litter, rocks, or fallen vegetation, with increased surface activity following rain.
How to tell it apart from look-alikes
Harmless mimic snakes in its range can share a similar red-black-white banding scheme, so verifying whether red bands directly touch white rings is an important diagnostic feature, since true coral snakes typically show this direct contact. The slightly upturned snout shape, though subtle, is another useful distinguishing trait compared to some mimic species with a more rounded or blunt snout. Complete rings extending onto the belly further confirm identification, as many mimics show interrupted or incomplete ventral patterning.
Frequently asked questions
What is distinctive about the Uruguayan Coral Snake's snout?
It has a slightly upturned or pointed snout adapted for burrowing, which can help distinguish it from some mimic species.
What colors appear in its banding pattern?
It shows red and black bands separated by narrow white rings in a repeating triad.
How large does this species get?
Adults typically reach about 40 to 70 centimeters, making it a relatively small coral snake.
Where is it found?
It occurs in Uruguay, southern Brazil, and northeastern Argentina, in grassland, scrub, and forest-edge habitats.
How can it be distinguished from harmless mimics?
Direct contact between red and white bands, along with complete ventral ring patterning, helps separate it from mimic species.