Ring-necked Snake
Diadophis punctatus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Diadophis, Species: D. punctatus
Widespread across North America, ranging from southern Canada through much of the United States down into parts of central Mexico.
Look up Ring-necked Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Diadophis, Species: D. punctatus
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with stable populations across most of its extensive range.
Physical Description
Slender body with smooth scales, dark grayish-brown dorsal coloration, a distinctive yellowish-orange ring around the neck, and a vibrant red-orange belly.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen shown is a small juvenile, roughly 4-6 inches long. Adults typically reach lengths of 10-15 inches, with a maximum record of around 30 inches.
Habitat
Found in a variety of habitats including moist woodlands, rocky hillsides, fields, and forest edges, typically hiding beneath logs, stones, bark, or leaf litter.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on small salamanders, earthworms, slugs, frogs, and occasionally small lizards or other small snakes. Forages actively under cover objects.
Reproduction
Oviparous, laying clutches of 1 to 10 elongated eggs in communal nests under rocks or rotting wood during early summer.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with stable populations across most of its extensive range.
Cultural Significance
Acts as an important mid-level predator in forest floor ecosystems, helping control invertebrate and amphibian populations.
Notable Features
Displays a behavior when threatened of curling its tail tightly to expose the brightly colored underside as a warning signal.