Description: The typical total length of an adult Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus) varies somewhat by subspecies but in general it is about 11 - 16 inches. A small, thin snake with smooth scales. Gray, blue-gray, blackish, or dark olive dorsal coloring, with a pinkish-red or coral-colored underside that is unmarked or lightly speckled with black markings. The underside of the tail is a bright reddish orange. An orange band circles the neck.

Habitat: Prefers moist habitats, including wet meadows, rocky hillsides, gardens, farmland, grassland, chaparral, mixed coniferous forests, woodlands.

Range: Diadophis punctatus pulchellus - Coral-bellied Ring-necked Snake, is endemic to California, occurring along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where it intergrades with the Northwestern Ring-necked snake in the north, and the Monterey and San Bernardino Ring-necked snakes in the south.

Found in these States: CA

Diet: Eats small salamanders, tadpoles, small frogs, small snakes, lizards, worms, slugs, and insects. The mild venom may help to incapacitate prey.

Reproduction: Females are oviparous, laying eggs in the summer, sometimes in a communal nest.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the very large and probably relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. This species is not threatened in most of its range.

Taxonomy: