Ring-necked Snake
Diadophis punctatus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Dipsadidae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Diadophis, Species: D. punctatus
North America, ranging widely across the United States, southern Canada, and parts of Mexico, inhabiting diverse biomes from forests to open prairies.
Look up Ring-necked Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Dipsadidae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Diadophis, Species: D. punctatus
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with stable populations across most of its extensive range despite localized habitat loss.
Physical Description
Slender body with smooth scales, dark grayish-brown or slate-colored dorsal surface, a distinct yellowish-orange or red ring around the neck, and a brightly colored underside matching the neck ring with dark spots.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen shown is small, likely a juvenile around 15 cm. Adults typically range from 25 to 38 cm, with maximum recorded lengths up to 45 cm.
Habitat
Terrestrial and cryptic, typically found in moist environments under logs, rocks, bark, and leaf litter in deciduous and coniferous forests, fields, and rocky hillsides.
Diet & Feeding
Active forager feeding primarily on small salamanders, earthworms, frogs, lizards, and occasionally small snakes, subduing prey through constriction and manipulation.
Reproduction
Oviparous, laying clutches of 1 to 10 eggs in communal nesting sites under decaying wood or rocks during early summer.
Look-alikes
Can be confused with other small colubrids or red-bellied snakes, but the prominent light-colored neck collar is diagnostic for Diadophis punctatus.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with stable populations across most of its extensive range despite localized habitat loss.
Cultural Significance
Acts as an important mid-level predator in forest and woodland ecosystems, helping control invertebrate and small amphibian populations.
Notable Features
Exhibits a characteristic defensive behavior of curling its tail tightly upward to display the bright red-orange ventral underside when threatened.