Ringneck Snake

(Diadophis punctatus)

California "San Diego Ringneck Snake"

Color Photograph: © Corel Corp.

"Regal Ringneck Snake"

Color Photograph: Jeff Servoss, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

"Northern Ringneck Snake"

Color Photograph: Ohio Department of Natural Resources

"Prairie Ringneck Snake"

Color Photograph: U.S. Forest Service

Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)

Identification: Snake 10 to 30 inches in length. A small, slender species. Back and sides gray, sometimes brown, olive, or black. Neck with an orange ring. Belly bright orange, red, or yellow. Back scales sometimes with the tips black giving the appearance of small spots. Scales smooth and anal plate divided.

Geographical Variation:

Northern Ringneck Snake (D. p. edwardsii): Neck ring golden yellow; belly unspotted. Range: From Nova Scotia in the north southward in the Appalachians to northern Georgia and Alabama, and westward to Illinois and the Great Lakes.

Southern Ringneck Snake (D. p. punctatus): Neck Ring interrupted; belly with a single row of lunulate spots down the middle. Range: Mostly along the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont from southern New Jersey to the Florida Keys.

Key Ringneck Snake (D. p. acricus): Neck ring absent. Range: Known only from Big Pine Key in southern Florida.

Mississippi Ringneck Snake (D. p. stictogenys): Ring neck narrow and frequently interrupted; belly with paired black spots arranged along the midline. Range: Southern Illinois southward in the Mississippi Valley to the Gulf of Mexico, and westward to eastern Texas.

Prairie Ringneck Snake (D. p. arnyi): Belly with spots; neck ring either complete or interrupted. Range: Southern Minnesota and South Dakota southward to southeastern Texas and eastern New Mexico.

Regal Ringneck Snake (D. p. regalis): Neck ring variable in width; belly with sparse black spots. Range: Southern Idaho southward throughout Utah to southeastern Nevada, Arizona, western Texas, and northern Mexico.

Northwestern Ringneck Snake (D. p. occidentalis): Neck ring wide, belly lightly spotted. Range: Southwestern Washington southward to Sonoma County, California. Isolated populations in Washington and Idaho.

Pacific Ringneck Snake (D. p. amabilis): Neck ring narrow; belly with numerous, black spots; distinguishing characters technical. Range: San Francisco Bay region of California.

San Bernardino Ringneck Snake (D. p. modestus): Neck ring narrow; belly with numerous black dots; distinguishing characters technical. Range: San Diego to Los Angeles counties in California.

San Diego Ringneck Snake (D. p. similis): Neck Ring narrow; belly spotting moderately spoted; distinguishing characters technical. Range: San Bernardino County southward into Baja California.

Coral-bellied Ringneck Snake (D. p. pulchellus): Neck ring wide; belly spots few to absent. Range: Western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California.

Monterey Ringneck Snake (D. p. vandenburghii): Neck ring wide; belly with few, small, scattered spots; distinguishing characters technical. Range: Ventura to Santa Cruz Counties in California.

Range (see map on left): The Ringneck Snake occupies southeastern Canada and most of the eastern United States. The species occurs in the southern Plains States and extends westward to Arizona and Nevada with scattered populations in California, Utah, and Idaho.

Habitat: This species is found in a variety of wet habitats including forests, grasslands, wooded hillsides, and California chaparral.

Food: The prey of the Ringneck Snake includes a variety of small animals including slugs, snails, small salamanders, and small reptiles.

Behavior: This is a shy creature and is usually found under logs and rocks. If disturbed the animal coils up and displays its brightly colored belly.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 10 eggs and is usually laid in communal nesting sites. The eggs are laid from June to July. Adults mate in both the spring or the fall.

Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)

Similar Species:

The distinctive neck ring and bright orange belly will usually distinguish this species from all other North American snakes.

Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus)

Swamp Snake (Seminatrix pygaea)

Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata)