Hvilken slags slang er sort og har en orange mave?
Diadophis punctatus
Ring-necked snake
Diadophis punctatus, almindeligvis kendt som ringhalsslange eller ringhalsslange, er en harmløs art af colubrid slange, der findes i store dele af USA, det centrale Mexico og det sydøstlige Canada. Ringhalsslanger er hemmelighedsfulde, nataktive slanger, så de ses sjældent om dagen. De er let giftige, men deres ikke-aggressive natur og små, bagudrettede hugtænder udgør kun en lille trussel for mennesker, der ønsker at håndtere dem. De er bedst kendt for deres unikke forsvarsholdning, hvor de krøller halen sammen og blotter deres lysende rød-orange bag- og bugside, når de bliver truet. Ringhalsslanger menes at være ret talrige i det meste af deres udbredelsesområde, selv om ingen videnskabelig evaluering understøtter denne hypotese. Der mangler videnskabelig forskning om ringhalsslangen, og der er et stort behov for mere dybtgående undersøgelser. Den er den eneste art inden for slægten Diadophis, og der er i øjeblikket identificeret 14 underarter, men mange herpetologer sætter spørgsmålstegn ved de morfologisk baserede klassifikationer.
Diadophis punctatus
Diadophis punctatus, commonly known as the ring-necked snake or ringneck snake, is a harmless species of colubrid snake found throughout much of the United States, central Mexico, and southeastern Canada. Ring-necked snakes are secretive, nocturnal snakes, so are rarely seen during the day time. They are slightly venomous, but their nonaggressive nature and small, rear-facing fangs pose little threat to humans who wish to handle them. They are best known for their unique defense posture of curling up their tails, exposing their bright red-orange posterior, ventral surface when threatened. Ring-necked snakes are believed to be fairly abundant throughout most of their range, though no scientific evaluation supports this hypothesis. Scientific research is lacking for the ring-necked snake, and more in-depth investigations are greatly needed. It is the only species within the genus Diadophis, and currently 14 subspecies are identified, but many herpetologists question the morphologically based classifications.
Ring-necked snake