DeKay's Brownsnake
Storeria dekayi • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Storeria, Species: Storeria dekayi
Widely distributed throughout eastern and central North America, ranging from southern Canada through the eastern United States down into parts of Mexico and Central America.
Look up DeKay's Brownsnake 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 highly adaptable and maintains stable populations despite habitat fragmentation and human encroachment.
Physical Description
Slender body with light brown to grayish coloration, featuring a distinct lighter vertebral stripe bordered by small dark spots or dashes on either side. The head is relatively small and distinct from the neck, with dark vertical bars near the jaw. Scales are keeled.
Size & Dimensions
This specimen appears to be an adult or subadult measuring approximately 20 to 25 cm. Typical adult size ranges from 23 to 33 cm, with a maximum recorded length of about 50 cm.
Habitat
Found in a diverse array of terrestrial habitats including forests, woodlands, fields, marshes, and heavily urbanized suburban gardens and parks. Prefers damp microhabitats under leaf litter, logs, rocks, and debris, generally at lower elevations.
Diet & Feeding
Diet consists primarily of soft-bodied invertebrates, focusing heavily on slugs, earthworms, snails, and occasionally small insects. Hunts actively by foraging through damp cover objects.
Reproduction
Viviparous (gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs). Mating typically occurs in spring, followed by the birth of litters ranging from 3 to over 20 young in late summer.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with the Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) and juvenile Garter Snakes (Thamnophis species). Distinguished by lack of bright red belly and specific dorsal patterning.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. The species is highly adaptable and maintains stable populations despite habitat fragmentation and human encroachment.
Cultural Significance
Serves an important ecological role as a natural predator of garden pests such as slugs and snails, often found in human-modified landscapes where they act as biological control agents.
Notable Features
Remarkably tolerant of human presence and highly adept at surviving in suburban backyards, often found hiding beneath artificial cover objects like boards, plastic, and flower pots.