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Ring neck snake is a popular name for Diadophis punctatus. They fall under the category of Colubridae snake and can be discovered in each and every continent except Antarctica.
It is very uncommon to spot a Ring Neck Snake during the daytime. This type of snake possesses a distinct defense. As soon as they sense a threat, what they do is curl up their tail, and expose their back and lower surface.
Ring neck snakes are found in abundance in every continent but Antarctica. There are around 14 subspecies of Ring neck snakes. So, there’s no concern regarding their extinction.
Appearance
This type of snake looks pretty beautiful as it has different color shades. Its body is olive, brown, bluish-gray, and is separated by a red-orange neckband.
However, the neckband may also have reduced color shades such as cream color, which makes it difficult to discriminate. Such snakes are mostly found in New Mexico in South America. Also, the entire body is light-colored than its head which is usually dark.
While it has reddish-orange or yellowish-orange shade on the lower surface or what is said to be Ventral. While few may be without ventral coloration i.e. without a distinctive color on the lower body.
They possess soft scales with 15–17 scale rows. Male snakes usually retain tiny tubercles on their scales right in front, whereas female snakes don’t generally have these.
The length of this Ring neck snake varies individually. However, for adults, it ranges from 10-15 inches long. Whereas, a young one may be anywhere between 8 inches long.
Diadophis Punctatus regalis stands different in size from other adult Ring neck snakes as it measures between 15-18 inches long. This type of snake enlarges about 1-2 inches annually.
Diadophis Punctatus regalis is mostly seen in the Southwestern region of the U.S and the northern part of Mexico in South America.
Habitat
As mentioned earlier, these are nocturnal snakes, so they will definitely need a hideout during the daytime. So, it is mostly found in regions where there are plentiful hideouts and where it can create its den for dwelling.
Northern, as well as Western species of the Ring neck snake, are found in the wet atmosphere in forests as well as hilly areas where they are enabled to several shelters as said earlier.
Southern subspecies can be found in regions between land and a river or what is said to be a riparian zone and of course wet environment. They do not reside at an altitude above 2,200 m so you won’t find these at higher altitudes.
You can also recognize the presence of this type of snake through their den. They are pretty deep to curb freezing temperatures. Also, they can be found underneath wooden scrap.
At higher temperatures, what they do is they develop a hole or they would lie low under rocks in hilly areas. They are primarily found in wooded areas.
Diet
They consume earthworms, tiny salamanders, and slugs as their diet. Sometimes, they may also eat up lizards, frogs, and young snakes of distinct species.
Ring neck snakes don’t possess a venom gland and the purpose of the venom gland is, hence, performed by the Duvernoy’s gland. The venom in the snake is produced in Duvernoy’s gland and is situated right behind its eye.
During an attack, this venom is spilled through the rear of the maxillary tooth. This attack occurs in two phases, wherein, initially, it strikes the prey and subsequently, and then it takes hold of the prey through constriction.
Then, finally, it injects the venom into the prey’s body, making its attack successful. However, their venom is harmless to humans.
As they are harmless, many people acquire this type of snake as a pet. However, looking after them can be difficult, and it can be tough to feed them as they consume tiny animals which isn’t an easy thing to get.
Ring Neck snakes are seldom contentious to huge predators. As stated earlier, they utilize their defense mechanism to confront such species. They try to warm themselves by staying under the rocks or any other object that is subjected to heat under the sun.
Reproduction
They don’t reproduce anytime in a year, but in spring or some subspecies reproduce during the fall. A male snake is lured by a female snake through the secretion of pheromones from the female’s skin.
As soon as the male snake finds a female to mate with, he moves his closed mouth towards the female and bites near the neckband of the female. And subsequently, aligns itself to the female’s body, to induce the sperm into her vent.
Consequently, the female delivers eggs under areas such as a rock or something similar. At once it can deliver eggs anywhere between 3-10 that hatch after a few months. Their offspring will look after themselves without their parents i.e. they are self-dependent.
Closure | Ring Neck snake
This was all about our beautiful tiny creature, the ring neck snake. It’s up to the individual whether to have it as a pet or not. And again, the snake is completely harmless and it won’t affect humans to a large extent. Hope that all things regarding the snake have been covered thoroughly.
Thanks for being patient and If you still have any queries regarding the same, just post it in the comment section and I’ll try to help you out in every way. And will post more such content so, be sure to check again to learn more such information.
