Mississippi ringneck snake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Diadophis punctatus stictogenys |
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| Mississippi ringneck snake | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Diadophis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
D. p. stictogenys
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| Trinomial name | |
| Diadophis punctatus stictogenys Cope, 1860
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The Diadophis punctatus stictogenys, also known as the Mississippi ringneck snake, is a type of snake found only in the United States. It is a subspecies of the larger Diadophis punctatus family.
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About the Mississippi Ringneck Snake
The Mississippi ringneck snake can grow up to about 44.5 centimeters (around 17.5 inches) long. Its head is black, and its body is a dark gray color. A bright golden ring separates its head from its body, giving it its name.
Its belly is usually yellow, which turns into a dark orange color under its tail. You can tell this snake apart from other ringneck snakes by the black spots on its belly. These spots are often irregular or appear as two rows of black spots down the middle. Other ringneck snakes usually have just one row of spots.
Where They Live
This snake lives in the eastern part of the United States. You can find it across most of the southeastern states and even in some central states, as far north as Illinois.
Their Home Environment
Mississippi ringneck snakes like to live in pine forests and on timbered hillsides. They also enjoy broken fields close to water and the bottoms of ravines. You can often find them hiding under logs, stones, or leaf litter near tree stumps and the bases of trees.
Reproduction
Female Mississippi ringneck snakes lay a clutch of 2 to 8 eggs. They usually place their eggs under rocks or in moist, rotting wood. After about five weeks, the eggs hatch, and tiny snakelets emerge.
What They Eat
These snakes are predators. They hunt and eat small animals with backbones (like tiny lizards or salamanders) and small invertebrates (like insects).
Who Eats Them
Mississippi ringneck snakes can become a meal for other animals. Birds of prey, like hawks, often hunt them. Other snakes might also eat them, and even large bullfrogs are known to prey on them.
