Ring-necked Snake
Diadophis punctatus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Diadophis, Species: D. punctatus
North America, ranging from southern Canada, throughout much of the United States, and 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, due to their wide distribution, large population size, and adaptability to various secondary habitats.
Physical Description
Slender body with smooth scales, dark gray to black or bluish-black dorsal coloration, and a distinct yellowish or orange ring around the neck immediately behind the head. The underside is typically brightly colored in yellow, red, or orange with dark spots.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen pictured appears to be a small juvenile or subadult, approximately 20 to 30 cm in length. Adults typically range from 25 to 38 cm, with exceptionally large individuals reaching up to 75 cm.
Habitat
Found in a variety of habitats including deciduous forests, coniferous forests, open fields, rocky hillsides, and riparian zones. They prefer moist microhabitats and frequently seek shelter beneath logs, rocks, bark, and leaf litter.
Diet & Feeding
Preys primarily on small salamanders, earthworms, frogs, slugs, and occasionally small lizards or snakes. They actively forage in moist microhabitats and subdue prey using constriction combined with mild oral secretions.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, females deposit clutches typically ranging from 1 to 10 eggs in communal nesting sites under rocks or rotting wood during the early summer months, with hatching occurring in late summer.
Look-alikes
Can be confused with other small slender snakes such as blackhead snakes (Tantilla), but the distinctive light neck ring readily separates D. punctatus from most similar species.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, due to their wide distribution, large population size, and adaptability to various secondary habitats.
Cultural Significance
Ecologically significant as both predator and prey within forest floor food webs, helping control invertebrate and small amphibian populations.
Notable Features
Known for a unique defensive display when harassed, where they curl their tail tightly to expose the brightly colored ventral side as a visual warning signal.