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Project Noah Nature School
Diadophis punctatus arnyi
Two prairie ring-necked snakes, flipped under a piece of plywood. 4 were found under one small piece of plywood! 5 were found that day in the same area. The color varies from a light brownish back to a slate-gray back. The rings can be thin or thick, red-orange or yellow-orange. The ventral scales are yellow, and towards the tail they turn orange, then a bright red starting around the anal plate. They will coil up this red tail into a corkscrew as a warning when they feel threatened, but they are rear-fanged and pose no threat to humans. These snakes are smaller in size, and very squirmy!
Found under a small piece of plywood in a large field with many small cacti and some trees.
Some of my first ring-necks! Was out herping with another, and more experienced, herper, and we found 5 ring-necks and 1 speckled king (see my other spotting) in about an hour! I like these photos, especially the first one, because they show how the color can vary between individuals.
Spotted on Apr 29, 2013
Submitted on May 1, 2013
4 Comments
They are cute little snakes!
Wow, these being me back to my childhood in Oklahoma. We used to find these quite a bit out in the fields
They are cool! I have some more pictures of a ring-neck found the same board here: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/226.... It shows a lot more of the body and characteristics. :)
what a great spotting! such thin and interesting looking snakes.