Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
Some of you may have notices that I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus from blogging lately, and I apologize, but I have a good excuse – I’ve been busy wedding planning, getting married, and on our honeymoon! Tony and I spent our honeymoon on the North Shore of Minnesota and when hiking at Jay Cooke State Park, were lucky enough to spot a Ringneck Snake! Neither of us had seen one before so it’s a new one to add to the critter list. We were hiking around in a rocky, wooded area near the river when something slithered across the path. I quickly stepped to the side away from it, but of course Tony had to know what it was so he went right for it and was able to catch it. He held it just long enough for a good look and a few pictures, then released it. We later found out that this was the first reported sighting of a Ringneck snake in Carlton county! We were able to report it to www.mnHerps.com which is a great resource for amphibian and reptiles of Minnesota. Ringneck snakes (Diadophis punctatus) Identification Ringneck snakes are a small black or dark grey snake with a yellow or orange ring around the neck and a yellow-orange belly that may have black spots (depending on the subspecies). They can grow to be 10-15 inches long.
Diet
Small animals like lizards, frogs, slugs, insects, earthworms, and smaller (usually baby) snakes. Predators Bullfrogs, Raptors, Striped Skunk, Virginia opossum, other larger snakes will prey on Ringnecks. When threatened they will coil up their tails into a corkscrew to show off the bright red or orangish underside of their tails. Venom Ringnecks do not have a true venom gland but their saliva contains a mild venom – which is used to subdue prey. They inject their venom through channeled teeth that are located near the rear of the mouth, because of this they need to chow on their prey in order to inject the venom. The venom is so mild that it won’t harm humans. Fun Facts There are 14 recognized subspecies of Ringnecks. Minnesota has two of those – the Northern Ringneck (Diadophis punctatus edwardsii) found in forests in the Northeastern part of the state and the Prairie Ringneck (Diadophis punctatus arnyi) found in the Southeastern part of the state. Keep your eyes open when you're out and about, you never know what you might stumble upon!
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