neighborhood naturalist CORVALLIS, OREGON — SPRING 2016
Ring-necked Snake article and photography by Lisa Millbank
N
aturalists have a habit of peeking under slabs of of them all. It’s possible that with more DNA analysis, the bark or old scraps of sheet metal. Once in a while, western population will one day be considered a separate there’s a surprise: a sleepy deer mouse, a centipede, species from the eastern one. an ant nest. But I’m usually out looking for a particular hidden treasure—a Ring-necked Snake. In our area, they prefer brushy grasslands, open mixed forests and savanna. They’re so shy and secretive that They are spectacular snakes, with lustrous blue-gray they’re seldom found out in the open, and spend most above and vermilion beneath. An iridescent sheen of the day under cover, or even in underground rodent glistens on their smooth scales, and their bellies are burrows. I’ve only seen one out during the daytime once, speckled with black. They’re small, usually only reaching as it quietly slipped through thick vegetation and hid about 18 inches in length. Named for the collar just itself in a rock pile. Despite their retiring nature, they are behind their heads, they are unmistakable, and more surprisingly sociable, and are frequently found in pairs or common than you might think. small groups under sun-warmed boards or scrap metal. Ring-necked Snakes range across much of North America, but are absent from the Rockies and northern plains states. In desert areas of the West, they’re restricted to mountain ranges with moist habitats. Many variations exist throughout their range, but the subspecies found in most of Western Oregon is one of the most boldly colored
Ring-necked Snakes are more active at night, unlike most of our other snakes. While hunting, they will eat almost any small prey they encounter, from invertebrates like slugs and worms to amphibians, lizards and other snakes. Scientists debate whether or not Ring-necked Snakes are actually venomous.
Neighborhood Naturalist, Spring 2016 v14 #1 • page 1