Secret(ive) weapon against "sprawl"

While I always keep my eyes open when I'm walking around, spotting snakes is not easy, because they're such adept hiders. This is even more true with the more secretive, tinier snakes, like the Ringneck snake, Diadophis punctatus. I've seen them in captivity, but it's rare to find them in the wild.

The picture will give you an idea why.

Diadophis2.jpg

These tiny snakes are mud colored (except for the yellow ring around the neck) and extremely shy. I happened upon it purely by accident while walking Coco. Fortunately, I had my camera so I could document the find before letting it go. When I put it down amidst some weeds and tree roots, it literally disappeared before my eyes, and I doubt I could have found it again had I searched for an hour.

The underside (which cannot be seen) is much more colorful:

Diadophis3.jpg

Interestingly, the small half moon spots indicate that it is a Southern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus punctatus).

Diadophis punctatus has some fourteen subspecies, and the Northern Ringneck Snake is Diadophis punctatus edwardsii, which would normally be expected to be found in Pennsylvania. (Oddly enough, the Northern variety is found in parts of the South, so I guess the Southern variety would be occasionally found in the North.)

I should probably not tell anyone exactly where I found this little critter, as these snakes are so rare in the area that the presence of one might supply environmentalists with an argument against "development." (As a libertarian snake lover, I wouldn't know whether to speak up or shut up, but my silence might be as valuable as my noise.) I suspect they're more common than people realize, but just try to find one!

These days, a tiny snake can stop a bulldozer. (And there are at least as many bulldozers in the area of the snake as there are enemies of bulldozers.)

posted by Eric on 07.02.06 at 12:00 AM





TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://classicalvalues.com/cgi-bin/pings.cgi/3790






Comments

Nice find.
Only times I've found them in CT and MA is turning over rocks and old stumps. They may not be rare - it's hard to know, because they are so secretive.

bird dog   ·  July 2, 2006 11:41 AM

Hey,
I live in Southeast Florida and our pool was drained by a crack made during the hurricane. We have lots of tadpoles and frogs and one small snake in it. I just identified it as a Southern Ringneck because it is small, about the width of a pencil and about 7 inches long. I put a small chunk of wood in the remainder of our pool for it to float on. Can I hold it safely before I let it go?
thanks

nikki   ·  July 13, 2006 02:05 PM

Ringneck snakes are completely harmless. They will, however, squirt some very smelly stuff on you!

Eric Scheie   ·  July 13, 2006 02:19 PM

thanks Eric. But does the smelly stuff wash off easily?

nikki   ·  July 13, 2006 03:00 PM

I held the snake earlier without incident. Do you think I could keep it in the pool and provide it food? I love snakes and want one quite badly. I want to keep it but my mom said I have to keep it outside the house. I thought, if I kept it in the pool, it would have a lot more room to move around than in a 10 or 20 gallon tank and I wouldn't have to clean it. Or do you think I should let it go in the bushes.

nikki   ·  July 13, 2006 08:41 PM

Me, I'd let it go. Wild caught snakes don't do that well in captivity. If you want a snake, I'd suggest a captive bred one.

Eric Scheie   ·  July 13, 2006 09:21 PM

well, my mom won't let me buy a snake cause she hates them; the only reason she would let me keep this one is because it is outside and she won't have to see it.

nikki   ·  July 13, 2006 10:05 PM


March 2007
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
        1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31

ANCIENT (AND MODERN)
WORLD-WIDE CALENDAR


Search the Site


E-mail




Classics To Go

Classical Values PDA Link



Archives




Recent Entries



Links



Site Credits