Coral snake

Last night, around 11pm, Carlos and I encountered a big (~1 m long) coral snake (Micrurus nigrocinctus) on the road home from the station. I almost stepped on it (since I was looking for mammals up in the trees). These are highly venomous snakes, but this guy wasn't very dangerous since he was in the process of swallowing a huge gecko. I didn't take a picture, but these are gorgeous snakes with bright red, yellow, and black ringed coloration (the famous tricolored monad that is common in coral snakes and mimics). This bright, contrasting coloration (called aposematism) is typical of venomous/poisonous animals (and their mimics) and basically serves to warn potential predators away. This is the first coral snake that I've seen and although scary initially, it was so pretty and cute!