Kenneth L. Krysko photo.

Scientific name: Diadophis punctatus punctatus

Description: Average adult size is 6-10 inches (15.2-25.4 cm), record is 18.9 inches (48 cm). Adults are small and slender-bodied with a black body and yellow, cream, or orange ring across the neck. The belly is bright yellow, orange, or red with a single row of half-moon spots down the center. The scales are smooth, and there are 15-17 dorsal scale rows at midbody. The pupil is round. Juvenile color is similar to that of the adult.

Southern ringneck snake: Left to right: Top of the head (notice the large plate-like scales on the top of the head); underside of the head (chin and throat).

Southern ringneck snake: Left to right: Side of the head; front (face view) of the head.

Range: It is found throughout Florida and the upper Florida keys, excluding the lower keys. Outside of Florida, it is found throughout the southeastern US from Alabama to southern New Jersey.

Habitat: Commonly found in meadows, prairies, pinelands, hardwood hammocks, and melaleuca stands.

Comments: and it rarely bites when handled. When startled or threatened, it may coil and raise the tail displaying its brightly-colored underside. It may emit a strong smelling musk from the glands just inside the cloaca.

The southern ringneck snake is a terrestrial burrower, frequently found in or underneath logs or other debris. It feeds on small earthworms, slugs, frogs, anoles, geckos, skinks, snakes, and salamanders.

It lays eggs. During the summer usually 2-8 whitish eggs are laid in moist areas such as underneath or inside rotting logs. Sometimes a communal nest site may be used by several different females. Newborns are 3-4 inches (7.6-10 cm).

Ringnecks are the snakes that are most frequently found in Florida swimming pools — they crawl in to get a drink and then cannot climb out because they are too small to reach the lip of the pool. If you find one in your pool, lift it out with the leaf skimmer or a dipnet and turn it loose in the shrubs where it can get back to eating things you do not want in your garden.

Comparison with other species: The Keys ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus acricus) has a slate gray colored body and an indistinct or missing neck ring. The Florida brown snake (Storeria dekayi victa) has a light colored stripe down its back, flecking on its sides, and a distinct brown spot under the eye.

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Checklist of Florida Amphibians and Reptiles — Florida Herpetology