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: Least Concern. Populations are generally stable, though local declines can occur due to habitat loss, urban development, and road mortality.
Physical Description
Slender body with smooth scales, dark gray to black dorsum, and a distinct yellowish-orange or whitish ring around the neck just behind the head. The underside is typically brightly colored in yellow, red, or orange, often with dark spots.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen shown is small, likely a juvenile around 8-12 inches. Adults typically range from 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm), with maximum recorded lengths up to 18-30 inches depending on the subspecies.
Habitat
Found in a variety of habitats including moist forests, rocky wooded hillsides, open fields, and edges of wetlands, often seeking shelter under logs, loose bark, stones, and leaf litter.
Diet & Feeding
Preys primarily on small salamanders, earthworms, frogs, and occasionally small lizards, other small snakes, or soft-bodied insects. Active forager utilizing a constriction-like holding strategy and subduing prey before consumption.
Reproduction
Oviparous, laying clutches of 1 to 10 eggs (average 3-5) in communal nests under rocks, logs, or in rotting wood during early summer. Eggs hatch in late summer.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern. Populations are generally stable, though local declines can occur due to habitat loss, urban development, and road mortality.
Cultural Significance
Acts as an important mid-level predator in forest and woodland ecosystems, helping control invertebrate and amphibian populations. Often encountered in suburban yards.
Notable Features
Known for a characteristic display when threatened, where it curls its tail tightly to reveal its brightly colored red or orange ventral side.