Diadophis punctatus , commonly known as snake-necked ring or ringneck snake , is a harmless species of snubrid snake found in many places in the United States, central Mexico, and southeast Canada. Long-necked snakes are secret snakes, nocturnal, so rarely seen during the day. They are a bit venomous, but their non-aggressive nature and small back-facing fangs pose little threat to humans who want to handle them. They are famous for their unique defense posture of curbing their tails, exposing their bright red orange posterior surface, when the surface is threatened.
Ring-necked serpents are believed to be quite abundant in most of their range, although no scientific evaluation supports this hypothesis. Scientific research is less for ring-nosed snakes, and more in-depth investigation is needed. It is the only species in the genus Diadophis , and currently 14 subspecies are identified, but many herpetologists question the classification based on morphology.
Video Ring-necked snake
Description
Ring-necked serpents are almost identical in morphology throughout most of their distribution.
The dorsal color is solid olive, brown, gray to smoky black, broken only by a different yellow, red, or yellow-orange neckline. Some populations in New Mexico, Utah, and other different locations do not have a distinctive neck band. In addition, individuals may have reduced or partially colored neck ribbons that are difficult to distinguish; color can also be more of a cream color than bright orange or red. The color of the head tends to be slightly darker than the rest of the body, with a tendency to be darker than gray or olive. Internally, the snake shows a yellow-orange color to a red color damaged by crescent-shaped black spots along the edges. Some individuals do not have a different ventral color, but usually maintain black spots. Rarely, does the individual have neither the ventral color nor the neck ribbon; so the use of both characteristics is the simplest way to distinguish species.
The size also varies across the species distribution. Typically, adults measure a length of 25-38 cm (10-15 inches), except for D. p. regalis , which measures 38-46 cm (15-18 inches). First year juvenile caterpillars are usually about 20 cm (8 inches) and grow about 2-5 cm (1-2 inches) per year depending on the stage of development or availability of resources.
Ring-necked snakes have fine scales with a row of 15-17 scales in the center of the body. Males usually have small tubercles on their scales just anterior to the vent, which are not usually present in women.
Maps Ring-necked snake
Distribution
Ring-necked snakes are quite common in most parts of the United States to southeastern Canada and central Mexico. The Eastern Population covers the entire East Coast from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence continuously through the Gulf Coast of Texas. The distribution moves inland to northern Minnesota, continuing diagonally through the US to include all of Iowa, eastern Nebraska, and most of Kansas. In the western US, the distribution is significantly less sustainable, with spotty, segments of different populations through most of the Pacific Northwest. The widespread populations of central-south Washington continue along the extreme West Coast to Mexico. The population segment extends inland to west of Idaho, through southern Nevada, to central Utah, and continues south through Arizona and central Mexico.
Habitat
Ring-necked snakes occur in a variety of habitats. Preferences seem to be determined by areas with abundant coverage and location. The north and west subspecies are found in open forests near rocky hills, or in damp environments with abundant cover or woody debris. The southern subspecies exist primarily in riparian and wet environments, especially in drier habitats. Stebbins (2003) identifies the species as humid habitat snakes, with substrate moist soil conditions favorable to the substrate. Ring-necked serpents are also not found above 2,200 m (7,200 ft) altitude. In the northern region, the nest is also important for identifying the habitat of a ring-necked snake accordingly. Dens are usually divided communally, and can be identified by existing underwater cracks or deep holes to prevent freezing temperatures. Since this is a forest reptile, it can also be found under wood or waste. Due to hot weather, they tend to make holes and burrows, or they hide under rocks or suitable materials. They are usually found in lowland forests.
Diet
The ring-necked snake diet consists mainly of small salamanders, earthworms, and snails, but they also occasionally eat lizards, frogs, and some juvenile snakes of other species. The frequency at which prey species are selected depends on their availability within the habitat. Ring-necked serpents use a combination of constriction and envenomation to secure their prey. Snakes do not have true poison glands, but they have an analogue structure called the Duvernoy gland that comes from the same tissue. Most subspecies have rear-eared with the last maxilla teeth on both sides of the longer upper jaw and are channeled; The notable exceptions are D. p. edwardsii , which can not be deceptive. This toxin is produced in the Duvernoy gland located just behind the eyes. Then it flows out of the hole in the back of the maxillary tooth. Snake the first snake-ring snake and then secure the prey using a constriction. Next, they point their mouths forward, ensuring that the maxillary teeth last pierce the skin and allow the toxins to enter the tissue of the prey. Ring-necked serpents are rarely aggressive for larger predators, suggesting their toxins develop as a feeding strategy rather than a defense strategy. Instead of trying to bite the predator, the snake twisted its tail into a bottle opener, exposing its brightly colored stomach.
Ring-necked serpents are mainly nocturnal or highly crepuscular, although some diurnal activity has been observed. Individuals are sometimes found during the day, especially on cloudy days, sunbathing themselves to get hot. However, most individuals lie just below the surface of objects warmed in the sun and use conduction with the object to get the heat. Although long-necked snakes are very secretive, they show some social structure, but proper social hierarchies have never been evaluated. Many populations have been identified to have large colonies of more than 100 individuals, and some reports show some smaller colonies occupy the same microhabitat.
Reproduction
Ring-necked snakes are usually mated in the spring. In some subspecies, marriage occurs in the fall, and delayed implantation occurs. Women pull men by removing pheromones from their skin. After a man finds a woman, he starts by moving his closed mouth along the woman's body. Then, the male bites the female around his neck, maneuvering to align their bodies so that the sperm can be inserted into the woman's vent. Females lay eggs on loose soil and aerated under rocks or in rotted wood. Three to ten eggs are stored in early summer and hatch in August or September. Eggs are elongated with white in contrast to yellow tips. When hatching, teenagers are precocial and fight for themselves without parental care.
Subspecies
The following 14 subspecies are recognized.
- D. p. acricus Paulson, 1966 - Key ring-necked snake
- D. p. fast Baird & amp; Girard, 1853 - Pacific-necked serpent
- D. p. anthony Van Denburgh & amp; Slevin, 1942 <- small - long-necked snake Todos Santos Island
- D. p. arnyi Kennicott, 1859 - snake necklaces
- D. p. dugesii Villada, 1875 - DugÃÆ'¨s' snake necked ring
- D. p. edwardsii (Merrem, 1820) - northern neck turtles
- D. p. modestus Bocourt, 1866 - San Bernardino necklaces
- D. p. occidentalis Blanchard, 1923 - serpent necklaced northwest northwest
- D. p. pulchellus Baird & amp; Girard, 1853 <- small - rounded necked serpent
- D. p. punctatus (Linnaeus, 1766) - turtle necked south
- D. p. regalis Baird & amp; Girard, 1853 - turquoise ring turquoise
- D. p. similis Blanchard, 1923 - San Diego jungle serpent
- D. p. stictogenys Cope, 1860 <- small - the Mississippi long serpent
- D. p. vandenburgii Blanchard, 1923 - Monterey's red necked serpent
Reference
External links
- Species Diadophis punctatus in The Reptile Database
- Ringneck snake - Diadophis punctatus The species accounts of the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide.
- "Black Snake": Identification and Ecology - Fact sheet Florida University.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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