Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
with dark (almost black) diamond shapes, set off by yellowish white borders. Look where
you're going and listen up: it will usually rattle before attacking.
The coral snake's poison is the most potent of any North American snake. It looks very
pretty - a slim body with sections of black and red divided by thin orange-yellow stripes -
and it can easily be mistaken for the harmless scarlet king snake. To tell them apart, re-
member this cheerful little rhyme: 'Red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, good
for Jack.' Fortunately, the coral snake is very shy and generally nocturnal, and on the
whole it rarely bites people.
When traveling in high-risk areas, such as Big Bend or any place where there are tall
grasses or shrubs, you can reduce the risk of being bitten by using basic common sense:
wear boots and long pants, for example.
Texas' official flying mammal is the Mexican free-tailed bat. For a list of the best places to spot them,
download the Texas Parks & Wildlife's bat-watching brochure at
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications
.
