Brown Snake
Storeria dekayi • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Storeria, Species: Storeria dekayi
Found widely across eastern and central North America, ranging from southern Canada through the eastern United States down into Mexico and parts of Central America.
Look up Brown Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Storeria, Species: Storeria dekayi
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. The species is widespread and generally adaptable to human-altered environments.
Physical Description
Small, slender snake with brown or grayish coloration, featuring a distinct patterned back with a lighter mid-dorsal stripe bordered by small dark spots or bars. The head is relatively distinct from the neck with dark markings on the sides and back of the head. Scales are keeled.
Size & Dimensions
The specimen pictured appears to be a small individual or juvenile, around 20 to 30 cm in length. Adults typically range from 23 to 33 cm, with a maximum recorded length of about 53 cm.
Habitat
Highly adaptable, typically found in moist environments including woodlands, fields, marshes, meadows, and suburban areas. Often found hiding under rocks, logs, boards, and other surface debris.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily feeds on soft-bodied invertebrates such as slugs, earthworms, snails, and small insects. Hunts actively by foraging through leaf litter and damp substrates.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous (gives birth to live young). Mating typically occurs in spring, and females give birth to litters averaging 10 to 20 young in late summer.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. The species is widespread and generally adaptable to human-altered environments.
Cultural Significance
Acts as an ecologically important predator of garden pests like slugs and snails. Often encountered in suburban gardens and yards.
Notable Features
Remarkably tolerant of urban and suburban habitats, frequently surviving in city parks and residential backyards where other snake species disappear.