ring-necked snake

ring-necked snake

      small terrestrial snake (family Colubridae (colubrid)), found widely in North America, that sports a ring or collar of contrasting colour around its neck or nape. The ring is most frequently white to yellow on an otherwise uniform background of brown, gray, or black. The ring-necked snake is found throughout the eastern and western United States, southeastern Canada, and northeastern Mexico. There are several subspecies, and most are small, usually less than 38 cm (15 inches) in total length—though the regal ring-necked snake (D. punctatus regalis) may exceed 46 cm (18 inches) in length. In some ring-necked snakes the light collar is large and prominent in the young, but it then slowly shrinks and eventually disappears as the snake matures. The function of a ringed neck is unknown, though it presumably has some camouflaging or signaling purpose. Ring-necked snakes forage within surface litter for worms (worm), arthropods (arthropod), frogs (frog), salamanders (salamander), and other small reptiles (reptile).

 Dozens of unrelated snakes throughout the world have similar collar marking patterns. In the European ringed or grass snake (Natrix natrix), the collar is dark brown to black and bordered on one edge with white (see water snake).

George R. Zug
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • ring-necked snake — noun any of numerous small nonvenomous North American snakes with a yellow or orange ring around the neck • Syn: ↑ringneck snake, ↑ring snake • Hypernyms: ↑colubrid snake, ↑colubrid • Member Holonyms: ↑Diadophis, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • western ring-necked snake — noun : a small innocuous No. American snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) that is dark gray or brown above and on the undersurface white anteriorly and reddish posteriorly called also red bellied snake …   Useful english dictionary

  • ring snake — noun 1. harmless European snake with a bright yellow collar; common in England • Syn: ↑grass snake, ↑ringed snake, ↑Natrix natrix • Hypernyms: ↑water snake • Hyponyms: ↑viperine grass snake, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • snake — snakelike, adj. /snayk/, n., v., snaked, snaking. n. 1. any of numerous limbless, scaly, elongate reptiles of the suborder Serpentes, comprising venomous and nonvenomous species inhabiting tropical and temperate areas. 2. a treacherous person; an …   Universalium

  • ringneck snake — noun any of numerous small nonvenomous North American snakes with a yellow or orange ring around the neck • Syn: ↑ring necked snake, ↑ring snake • Hypernyms: ↑colubrid snake, ↑colubrid • Member Holonyms: ↑Diadophis, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • colubrid snake — noun mostly harmless temperate to tropical terrestrial or arboreal or aquatic snakes • Syn: ↑colubrid • Hypernyms: ↑snake, ↑serpent, ↑ophidian • Hyponyms: ↑hoop snake, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • ringed snake — noun harmless European snake with a bright yellow collar; common in England • Syn: ↑grass snake, ↑ring snake, ↑Natrix natrix • Hypernyms: ↑water snake • Hyponyms: ↑viperine grass snake, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • ringneck snake — any of several small, nonvenomous North American snakes of the genus Diadophis, usually having a conspicuous yellow or orange ring around the neck. Also, ring necked snake. Also called ring snake. [1825 35] * * * …   Universalium

  • ringneck snake — ☆ ringneck snake n. any of a genus (Diadophis) of small colubrid snakes with a yellow or orange ring around the neck, common throughout North America: also ring necked snake …   English World dictionary

  • red-bellied snake — noun harmless woodland snake of southeastern United States (Freq. 1) • Syn: ↑Storeria occipitamaculata • Hypernyms: ↑colubrid snake, ↑colubrid • Member Holonyms: ↑Storeria, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

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