Ring-necked Snake
Diadophis punctatus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Diadophis, Species: punctatus
Widely distributed across much of North America, including southern Canada, most of the United States (except the high Rockies and dry plains), and central Mexico.
Look up Ring-necked Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Diadophis, Species: punctatus
Conservation
IUCN Status: Least Concern. Generally common, though susceptible to habitat loss and pollution due to their dependence on moist microhabitats.
Physical Description
Small, slender body with smooth scales. Dorsal color is typically slate gray, black, or blue-gray. The most distinctive feature is a bright yellow, orange, or cream-colored ring around the neck. The belly is usually bright yellow-orange with small black spots.
Size & Dimensions
The specimen in the photo appears to be an adult, approximately 10-14 inches (25-35 cm). Typical species range is 10 to 15 inches, though some subspecies can reach 20+ inches.
Habitat
Found in a wide variety of habitats including moist deciduous forests, open woodlands, rocky hillsides, and edges of wetlands. They are primarily fossorial, spending most of their time under logs, stones, or leaf litter.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on small salamanders, earthworms, and slugs. They use a combination of constriction and mild venom localized in their saliva to secure prey.
Reproduction
Oviparous (egg-laying). Females lay clutches of 2 to 10 eggs in early summer, often in communal nests in moist rotting wood or soil. Young hatch in late summer or fall.
Look-alikes
Can be confused with the Dekay's Brownsnake (which lacks the ring) or juvenile North American Racers (which have a different texture and pattern). The most similar species are various Red-bellied snakes (Storeria occipitomaculata), which have keeled scales.
Conservation Status
IUCN Status: Least Concern. Generally common, though susceptible to habitat loss and pollution due to their dependence on moist microhabitats.
Cultural Significance
Ecologically significant as a predator of garden pests like slugs and as a food source for larger birds and mammals. Popular among amateur naturalists due to their attractive colors and gentle nature.
Notable Features
Notable for its dramatic defensive display where it coils its tail into a corkscrew to expose the bright red ventral coloration, acting as a visual deterrent to predators.