Matti's Mystery Snake

In my previous post I revealed that DPunct has a specific origin. One species of snake that I will be marking this summer is the ring-necked snake whose scientific name is.......

 

Drum roll, please.........

 

Diadophis punctatus! And voilà! The origin of DPunct!

 

Photo courtesy of the Virginia Herpetological Society

 

Why did I choose ring-necked snakes as the namesake of my blog? These little dudes are ADORABLE!

 

In southwest Virginia the specific sub-species is Diadophis punctatus edwardsii which is the northern ring-necked snake. These little guys are often a velvety black color with a light-colored ring around their necks. Their ventral scales (AKA their bellies) range from yellow to red. Their average length is only around 10-15 inches.

 

You can read all about them and other local species on the Virginia Herpetological Society's webpage.

 

Clearly evolution wants to keep these little dudes around! Evolution put a ring on it..........



 

Please excuse the corny joke. I couldn't resist.

 

Want to learn more about the Virginia Herpetological Society? Check out next week's post!