The Ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus) occasionally called the Ring-necked snake is a somewhat venomous but harmless colubrid snake located in southeastern Canada and during the majority of the USA southward into Central Mexico.
Ringneck snakes also possess one of the biggest geographical ranges of almost any species of snake found in North America and many subspecies are known.
The ringneck snakes inhabit woodlands, open hillsides, woods, brushy areas, grassland, chaparral, desert zones and riparian corridors in more humid areas. The habitats are moist, and at least and include stones, leaf litter.
The ringneck snake is quite simple to recognize for their vibrant bottom coloration, which will start off as a bright orange or yellow in the mind and becomes red in the tail. These brighter weathered colors additionally located around the upper scales and the eyebrow.
The species common name describes the different yellow, orange or red ring round the neck forming a ring. Some specimens lack a neck ring. Their underside is coated with dark spots the species epithet punctatus, meaning punctured or perforated.
These comparatively tiny snakes usually reach approximately 20 inches (50 cm) but they could attain a maximum size as much as 30 inches (75 cm). Even the ringneck snake has around students and scales.
They’ve quite a distinctive defensive position when threatened that they float their tails up to expose their glowing reddish or orangish bottom.
The ringneck snakes fall prey to an assortment of different animals like wild hogs, bullfrogs, eastern screech owls, striped skunks, nine-banded armadillos, Virginia opossums. Snakes such as the racer, warrior snakes or northern coral snake such as the California kingsnake also eat them.
Ringneck Snakes Venom
Though the ring-necked snakes do not have a legitimate venom gland that they do possess a similar arrangement known as the Duvernoy’s gland that produces poisonous saliva.
Thus snakes are slightly raw, their saliva includes a venom, which type of snakes utilize to aid them to subdue and paralyze their prey.
They inject their venom during the enlarged and jagged teeth situated within their upper limbs, and that in many subspecies are at the back of the mouth.
The shipping process isn’t as developed as this of “authentic” venomous snakes such as the pit vipers so that they will have to chew the victim to inject the venom.
Additionally, their venom evolved in the direction of the snake feeding demands that they rarely show aggressiveness against bigger predators suggesting the venom is not utilized as a defensive step.
Their venom is known as benign and ringneck snakes are deemed harmless.
Ringneck Snakes Diet
Even the ringneck snake feeds on many different creatures like lizards, frogs, slugs, miniature salamanders, bugs, earthworms, and younger snakes.
These snakes are constrictors, wrap their entire own body around the victim and squeezing along with a gentle venom within their saliva to subdue their prey.
Ringneck Snakes Reproduction
Normally the ringneck snake partners in the spring, however, a few subspecies may partner in the autumn. Ladies use pheromones secreted from their own skin.
To put their eggs choose locations using loose soils or in logs, and it is typical for the species to utilize creatures.
Females place 3 to 10 eggs in summer months and following an incubation period of 5 to 2 weeks the eggs hatch in August or even September.
The eggs are white with contrasting finishes with roughly 1 inch in an elongated silhouette along with length.
The younglings step about 3.5 to 5.5 inches (9 to 14 cm) in length and resemble mature snakes however possess a darker dorsal coloration.
Snakes are capable of fending for themselves with no requirement for any attention after pruning the Allied.
When they’re approximately 3 years old both snakes achieve their adulthood.
Ringneck Snakes Conservation
Twist – necked snakes have been recorded as”Least Concern” in view of the population size and several of subpopulations with its large region of occupancy. The species is found in protected locations and national parks.
There aren’t any significant risks oriented into this species as a whole, but some regional populations are extirpated or are declining due to habitat destruction.
Ringneck Snakes Subspecies
Their genus name”Diadophis” derives from the Greek words”diadem” significance headband along with “ophios” significance serpent. The species name “punctatus” stems from the Latin”punctum” which appears as”little hole” or”place”.
The ring-necked snake is the only species inside the monotypic genus Diadophis. Now scientists recognize the 14 subspecies of ringneck snake not all of the herpetologists concur for this classification.
Additional phylogenetic and taxonomic research is necessary for this particular species to describe these difficulties.
Southern ringneck snake (D. p. punctatus – Linnaeus, 1766)
Northern ringneck snake (D. p. edwardsii – Merrem, 1820)
Pacific ringneck snake (D. p. amabilis – Baird & Girard, 1853)
Coral Bellied ringneck snake (D. p. pulchellus Baird & Girard, 1853)
Regal ringneck snake (D. p. regalis – Baird & Girard, 1853)
Prairie ringneck snake (D. p. arnyi – Kennicott, 1859)
Mississippi ringneck snake (D. p. stictogenys Deal, 1860)
San Bernardino ringneck snake (D. p. modestus – Bocourt, 1866)
Dugès ringneck snake (D. p. dugesii – Villada, 1875)
Northwestern ringneck snake (D. p. occidentalis – Blanchard, 1923)
Monterey ringneck snake (D. p. vandenburghii Blanchard, 1923)
San Diego ringneck snake (D. p. similis – Blanchard, 1923)
Todos Santos Island ringneck snake (D. p. anthonyi – Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1942)
Key ringneck snake (D. p. acricus – Paulson, 1966)
