This little dude is likely a young one, but won’t get much bigger. Their main defense is to curl up their tail to show off their bright underbellies, probably in an attempt to trick predators into thinking they’re toxic. They’re one of the smallest snake species in California and they might also be my favorite native snake species. 😍
Habitat- Eastern United States; Southwestern United States
Size (Weight/Length)- 35 cm
Diet- Small amphibians; Worms; Small reptiles
Cool Facts- Now these little dudes are a welcome sight for urban explorers in the Midwestern United States. The prairie ringneck snake has a relatively small mouth for its size. These snakes have an extremely mild venom that can immobilize frogs and lizards but can’t harm people. Once their prey is immobilized, the prairie ringneck snake chomps down and constricts around the animal until it stops breathing. They commonly hide underneath logs and rocks due to their more passive behavior. This can lead to people picking up tarps or old rocks and finding these small snakes. Deceptively, their bright bellies are not used to signify their danger. Instead, the prairie ringneck snake will go belly-up to draw attention away from its head.
Rating- 13/10 (I can’t describe how badly I want to find one of these guys under my patio.)
Ya’ll will not BELIEVE the day I’ve had…my baby snake escaped at some point today and is loose in my house (i am a heartbroken father) so I set a trap with a worm. As of five minutes ago, the worm has also escaped the trap and now is loose in my house as well. Please pray for Punk (the baby snake) and my housemates who are terrified of snakes and worms.
Today’s snake is the ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus). It is a non-venomous colubrid found in southern Canada, the United States, and central Mexico.
As my first post here, I wanted to share my series of RPG snakes from 2019! I think they mostly still hold up, especially if I tweak the faces of the sorcerer and cleric 👀 The wizard is my favorite 🧡