<P> Ring - necked snakes have smooth scales with 15--17 scale rows at midbody . Males typically have small tubercles on their scales just anterior to the vent, which are usually absent in females . </P> <P> Ring - necked snakes are fairly common throughout much of the United States extending into southeastern Canada and central Mexico . Eastern populations cover the entire Eastern Seaboard from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence continuous through the Gulf Coast of Texas . Distribution moves inland into northern Minnesota, continuing diagonally through the US to include all of Iowa, eastern Nebraska, and most of Kansas . In the western US, the distribution is significantly less continuous, with spotty, distinct population segments through most of the Pacific Northwest . Populations extend from south - central Washington continuing along the extreme West Coast into Mexico . Population segments extend inland into western Idaho, through southern Nevada, into central Utah, and continuing south through Arizona and central Mexico . </P> <P> Ring - necked snakes occur in a wide variety of habitats . Preference seems to be determined by areas with abundant cover and denning locations . Northern and western subspecies are found within open woodlands near rocky hillsides, or in wetter environments with abundant cover or woody debris . Southern subspecies exist primarily within riparian and wet environments, especially in more arid habitats . Stebbins (2003) identified the species as a snake of moist habitats, with moist soil conditions the preferred substrate . Ring - necked snakes are also not found above an elevation of 2,200 m (7,200 ft). In northern regions, dens are also important in identifying suitable ring - necked snake habitat . Dens are usually shared communally, and are identifiable by an existent subsurface crevasse or hole deep enough to prevent freezing temperatures . Since it is a woodland reptile, it can also commonly be found under wood or scraps . Because of hot weather, they tend to make holes and burrows, or they hide under rocks or any suitable material . They are normally found in flatland forests . </P> <P> The diet of the ring - necked snake consists primarily of smaller salamanders, earthworms, and slugs, but they also sometimes eat lizards, frogs, and some juvenile snakes of other species . The frequency at which prey species are chosen is dependent on their availability within the habitat . Ring - necked snakes use a combination of constriction and envenomation to secure their prey . The snakes do not have a true venom gland, but they do have an analogous structure called the Duvernoy's gland derived from the same tissue . Most subspecies are rear - fanged with the last maxillary teeth on both sides of the upper jaw being longer and channeled; the notable exception is D. p. edwardsii, which is fangless . The venom is produced in the Duvernoy's gland located directly behind the eye . It then drains out of an opening at the rear of the maxillary tooth . Ring - necked snakes first strike and then secure the prey using constriction . Next, they maneuver their mouths forward, ensuring the last maxillary tooth punctures the skin and allowing the venom to enter the prey's tissue . Ring - necked snakes are rarely aggressive to larger predators, suggesting their venom evolved as a feeding strategy rather than a defense strategy . Rather than trying to bite a predator, the snake winds up its tail into a corkscrew, exposing its brightly colored belly . </P>

What kind of snake is black with an orange belly