Coral snake

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Coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be divided into two distinct groups, the Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 27 species of Old World coral snakes, in three genera (Calliophis, Hemibungarus, and Sinomicrurus), and 83 recognized species of New World coral snakes, in two genera (Micruroides and Micrurus). Phylogenetic studies suggest that the group originated in the Old World. While new world species of both genera are venomous, their bites are seldom lethal; as of 2018, only two confirmed fatalities had been documented in the United States in the preceding 100 years from the genus Micrurus. Meanwhile, snakes of the genus Micruroides have never caused a medically significant bite.

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