RED COFFEE-SNAKE

Workers on the property of Elvira Jimenez near Ek Balam north of Valladolid, Yucatan ran into several Red Coffee-Snakes, Ninia sebae, of which one is pictured at the right. Of course the workers assured Elvira that they were deadly poisonous, and killed them all.

These are wonderful, perfectly harmless little snakes who feed mostly on earthworms, slugs and land snails. They make a half-hearted attempt at mimicking the venomous coral snake, but that species has broad bands of red, yellow and black. Note how this individual is flattening his front part to make himself look more threatening. It's all bluff. Please don't kill this snake.

This is a commonly encountered species, in Spanish often known as Basurera, which means "hanging about in the rubbish." It's also known as dormilona, or "sleeper," because sometimes when he knows he's been discovered he holds still, on the theory that you might overlook him.

The species occurs from Veracruz and Oaxaca through Central America to Costa Rica. Having such a large distribution, its appearance displays wide geographic variation. Some individuals have no black markings on the top while others are black-spotted on the front two-thirds of their bodies. At least in Guatemala sometimes distinctive black crossbands across the top are narrowly edged with yellow.