Is the ring-necked snake venomous?

The ring-necked snake is harmless. Harmless. Technically has slightly toxic saliva that matters to salamanders, and it cannot deliver it to a person in any meaningful way.

How do you identify a ring-necked snake?

Complete bright ring around the neck — the single diagnostic feature. Smooth, glossy, unpatterned slate-grey or black back.

Where do ring-necked snakes live?

They are found in 44 US states, in habitats including woods, suburban, rocky and grassland.

Ring-necked Snake

Harmless

Diadophis punctatus · also called ringneck snake, collared snake

The ring-necked snake is a small, glossy, slate-coloured snake with an unmistakable bright collar. When alarmed, some populations coil the tail into a tight spiral and flash the red underside upwards as a warning. It is one of the most abundant snakes in North America and one of the least often seen, because it lives under things.

Venom: Harmless. Technically has slightly toxic saliva that matters to salamanders, and it cannot deliver it to a person in any meaningful way.
Adult length: 10–15 inches (25–38 cm)
Markings: Smooth slate-grey or blue-black above with a bright yellow or orange ring around the neck and a matching yellow, orange or red belly, sometimes spotted with black.
Habitat: woods, suburban, rocky, grassland
Family: colubrid
Range: 44 US states

How to identify a ring-necked snake

Complete bright ring around the neck — the single diagnostic feature.
Smooth, glossy, unpatterned slate-grey or black back.
Yellow to red belly.
Under 15 inches, very slender, found under rocks, bark and boards.

What it does when it sees you

Hides constantly. Curls and displays the tail rather than biting. Frequently found in gardens when a stone or log is turned over.

What the ring-necked snake is confused with

One test settles each of these.

Red-bellied snake →

Red-bellied snakes have three separate pale neck spots, not a complete ring, and a duller brown back.

Before anything else

Back away and leave it alone. A snake that can see you leaving has no reason to bite. Most bites in the United States happen to people who picked up, cornered, or tried to kill a snake.
Never handle a snake to identify it. Every identification on this site can be made from a photo or from several feet away.
If someone is bitten, call emergency services now. Keep the limb still and below the heart, remove rings and watches, and go to hospital. Do not cut, suck, apply ice, or use a tourniquet — all of these make outcomes worse.
Do not try to catch the snake for identification. A photo from a distance is enough, and hospitals treat symptoms rather than species.

In the US, the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. This site is a reference, not medical advice.

Not sure it was a ring-necked snake? Identify it step by step →