A-luring Tails
Posted by bev hug on July 22, 2005
Q: a friend of mine found a real skinny black snake with a red or orange ring around its neck and its about 8" long, she found it in her garage, its skinner than a pencil
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: Florida
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: Sounds like a Ringneck Snake to me. Ringnecks are small — up to around 15 inches long — harmless invertebrate-eating snakes found throughout the eastern US. There are many subspecies of ringneck — you would probably encounter the Southern Ringneck in your area. Ringneck snakes typically have yellow to red bellies, often darker red toward the tail, with black spots on the belly and a yellowish ring around the neck. The Southern Ringneck has a single row of distinct, moon-shaped black spots on the belly and the ring around the neck is usually broken by dark pigment.
Solon Morse ( July 23, 2005)