Snake Species Dinosaur species

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Diadophis punctatus vandenburgii - Monterey Ring-necked Snake

Diadophis punctatus vandenburgii - Monterey Ring-necked Snake - snake species | gveli | გველი

Diadophis punctatus vandenburgii - Monterey Ring-necked Snake

Mildly Venomous

Not considered dangerous to humans. Enlarged non-grooved teeth in the rear of the upper jaw and mild venom which may help to incapacitate small prey.

Size

8 - 34 inches long (20 - 87cm.)

Appearance

A small, thin snake with smooth scales. Gray, blue-gray, blackish, or dark olive dorsal coloring, with a bright orange to reddish underside, speckled with a few small black markings. The underside of the tail is a bright reddish orange. A narrow orange band around the neck, 1.5 - 2.5 scale rows wide.

Behavior

Secretive - usually found under the cover of rocks, wood, bark, boards and other surface debris, but occasionally seen moving on the surface on cloudy days, at dusk, or at night.

When disturbed, coils its tail like a corkscrew, exposing the underside which is usually bright red. It may also smear musk and cloacal contents.

Diet

Eats small salamanders, tadpoles, small frogs, small snakes, lizards, worms, slugs, and insects. The mild venom may help to incapacitate prey.

Reproduction

Lays eggs in the summer, sometimes in a communal nest.

Range

This subspecies, Diadophis punctatus vandenburgii - Monterey Ring-necked Snake, is endemic to California, occuring along the south-central California coast from Ventura County north to southern Santa Cruz County, and inland through the coast ranges.

The species Diadophis punctatus - Ring-necked Snake, has a very wide range, occuring along the entire east coast of the United States west to the Great Lakes and southwest from there through the Midwest into Arizona, with scattered isolated populations throughout most of the western states including the western half of California, Oregon west of the Cascades, and south central Washington.

Habitat

Prefers moist habitats, including wet meadows, rocky hillsides, riparian coridors, gardens, farmland, grassland, chaparral, mixed coniferous forests, woodlands.

Taxonomic Notes

Many herpetologists no longer recognize the traditional morphologically-based subspecies of Diadophis punctatus, pending a thorough molecular study of the whole species. One ongoing study (Feldman and Spicer, 2006, Mol. Ecol. 15:2201-2222) has found all of the D. punctatus subspecies in California (except D. p. regalis) to be indistinguishable. It is likely that D. punctatus is composed of several distinct lineages that do not follow the geographic ranges of the subspecies.

CHECKERED GARTERSNAKE <br /> Thamnophis marcianus | Snake Species Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi - Valley Gartersnake | Snake Species  PRAIRIE RATTLESNAKE <br />  Crotalus viridis | Snake Species
Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha nuchalata - California Nightsnake | Snake Species Thamnophis elegans vagrans - Wandering Gartersnake | Snake Species Chionactis occipitalis talpina - Nevada Shovel-nosed Snake | Snake Species
WESTERN SHOVEL-NOSED SNAKE   <br />   Chionactis occipitalis | Snake Species Lampropeltis triangulum celaenops - New Mexico Milksnake | Snake Species  DESERT NIGHTSNAKE  Hypsiglena chlorophaea | Snake Species
SPECKLED RATTLESNAKE<br />  Crotalus mitchellii | Snake Species Coluber lateralis lateralis - California Striped Racer | Snake Species Drymarchon melanurus erebennus - Texas Indigo Snake | Snake Species
Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis  - Western Black-necked Gartersnake | Snake Species  ROSY BOA   Lichanura trivirgata | Snake Species Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii - Desert Massasauga | Snake Species
WESTERN PATCH-NOSED SNAKE <br /> Salvadora hexalepis | Snake Species Salvadora grahamiae grahamiae - Mountain Patch-nosed Snake | Snake Species MEXICAN GARTERSNAKE <br /> Thamnophis eques | Snake Species
SONORAN SHOVEL-NOSED SNAKE  <br />   Chionactis palarostris | Snake Species Pantherophis emoryi - Great Plains Ratsnake | Snake Species MILKSNAKE  Lampropeltis triangulum | Snake Species

Copyright © 2012