Dekay's Brownsnake
Storeria dekayi • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Storeria, Species: S. dekayi
Eastern and central North America, ranging from southern Ontario and Quebec south to Florida, and west to the Great Plains (Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, into northeastern Mexico).
Look up Dekay's Brownsnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Storeria, Species: S. dekayi
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, due to its very wide distribution, tolerance of human-altered habitats, and generally stable populations.
Physical Description
Small-bodied snake with grayish-brown to chestnut coloration, featuring a lighter dorsal stripe bordered by small dark spots or dashes. The head is relatively small and distinct from the neck, often with dark markings near the temples and a dark collar-like marking behind the head. Scales are typically strongly keeled.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen appears small, approximately 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) in total length, consistent with a young individual or a small adult. Adults typically range from 23 to 33 cm (9 to 13 inches), with a maximum recorded length around 52 cm (20.5 inches).
Habitat
Found in a wide variety of habitats including forests, fields, wetlands, and heavily urbanized areas such as suburban gardens and parks. Often found hiding under surface cover like logs, rocks, boards, and leaf litter.
Diet & Feeding
Specialized feeder on soft-bodied invertebrates, primarily earthworms, slugs, and snails. Uses an active foraging strategy in microhabitats like damp soil and leaf litter to locate prey.
Reproduction
Viviparous (live-bearing), giving birth to litters typically ranging from 3 to 20+ young in late summer (July to September). Mating generally occurs in the spring after emerging from brumation.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, due to its very wide distribution, tolerance of human-altered habitats, and generally stable populations.
Cultural Significance
Acts as an important ecological controller of garden pests like slugs and snails. Often encountered by gardeners and homeowners in suburban ecosystems.
Notable Features
Highly adapted to living in close proximity to humans, frequently surviving in dense urban environments where other reptiles disappear. Possesses specialized jaw structures to extract snails from their shells.