Prairie Ring-Necked Snake, 072808, Sweetwater, TX

This small snake was captured and photographed by Curtis R. in Sweetwater Texas on July 28, 2008: "Hi, Jerry---This morning my dogs were barking like crazy. My wife found the dogs picking up and dropping this snake, without harming it. She put it in a jar. I searched your site but could not identify it. Can you tell what it is?" This snake is the only species in Texas with a nuchal (neck) collar. It is represented here in three subspecies: the prairie, regal (which does not have the nuchal collar), and Mississippi; this is the prairie subspecies. Taxonomically it is a member of the genus Diadophis [L. "golden ring"], and the species punctatus [L. "a point"], which may refer to black spots on the serpent's belly. According to Werler & Dixon this snake is uncommon to rare in Texas, is a gentle serpent that rarely bites defensively, but when provoked hides its head and raises its tail, curled in a tight spiral, exposing a bright red underside.  NEXT PAGE ---- Page Menu:   1  *  2  *  3  *  4  *

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