red snakes

Red snakes are snakes with predominantly red coloration, found across many species worldwide.

The term has no precise taxonomic meaning—it describes appearance rather than classification.

Some red snakes are venomous (coral snakes), others harmless (corn snakes, scarlet kingsnakes).

The rhyme "red touches yellow, kills a fellow" attempts to distinguish dangerous coral snakes from harmless mimics in North America, though it's unreliable outside that region.