Dekay’s brown snake
(Storeria dekayi)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
Dekay’s brown snake is a small, nonvenomous, snake, the second smallest snake found in Minnesota. Adults may be 9″ to 18″ in length at maturity, though they average 12″ and are rarely more than 15″ in length. Females are slightly larger than males. The background color is reddish-brown. A pale stripe on the upper back (mid-dorsal) runs the length of the body. This stripe is bordered on each side by a row of black spots. The upper (dorsal) and lateral scales have a narrow, pale, raised ridge (keel) along the centerline. There are either 15 or 17 rows of dorsal and lateral scales. The belly is cream-colored or pinkish-white and is unmarked except for very small black spots at the ends of the belly (ventral) scales. The anal plate is divided. Underneath the tail there are two rows of scales (subcaudal scales). The head is darker than the body. Two dark brown vertical stripes below the eye extend to the jaw line, and there is usually a dark stripe behind the eye. Only two scales separate the eye and the nasal opening—there is no loral scale and the postnasal scale touches the preocular scale. Juveniles have a light, grayish ring around the neck. |
Size |
9″ to 18″ |
Similar Species |
Redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) is smaller, no more than 10″ long. The pale dorsal stripe is not bordered with rows of black spots. The belly is bright red or salmon colored. |
Habitat |
Open grasslands near a woodland and near water |
Biology |
Behavior |
The adult is active during the day. When threatened it will strike repeatedly, but its bite is neither venomous nor painful. Its mouth is not big enough to bite humans. It is often found by turning over rocks or boards. |
Lifespan |
7 years |
Life Cycle |
Mating occurs from March through May. Gestation takes 105 to 113 days. In July and August females give birth to 3 to 20, usually at least 10, live young. Newborn snakes are 3½″ to 4½″ long. Juvenile mortality is high but snakes that reach adulthood will usually live about seven years. Males and females reach sexual maturity in two years. They overwinter in anthills, rock crevices, road embankments, and bridges. |
Food |
Earthworms, slugs, snails, soft-bodied insects, and rarely tadpoles and small frogs. |
Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 7/27/2024 | ||
Occurrence |
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Common |
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Taxonomy |
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| Class | Reptilia (reptiles) |
| Superorder | Lepidosauria |
| Order | Squamata (snakes and lizards) |
| Suborder | Serpentes (snakes) |
| Infraorder | Alethinophidia |
| Superfamily | Colubroidea |
Family |
Colubridae (colubrid snakes) |
Subfamily |
Natricinae |
Genus |
Storeria (American brown snakes) |
Subordinate Taxa |
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Four subspecies were previously recognized. A recent study of the genus Storeria (Pyron et al., 2016) determined that the subspecies were defined by qualitative variation in color pattern, that these patterns smoothly intergrated across huge geographical areas, and thus subspecies recognition is not warranted. The former subspecies are now considered synonyms. |
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Synonyms |
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Coluber dekayi Storeria dekayi ssp. anomala Storeria dekayi ssp. dekayi Storeria dekayi ssp. limnetes Storeria dekayi ssp. temporalineata Storeria dekayi ssp. texana Storeria dekayi ssp. tropica Storeria dekayi var. anomala Storeria dekayi ssp. wrightorum Storeria tropica Storeria tropica ssp. limnetes Tropidonotus dekayi |
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Common Names |
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brown snake Dekay’s brown snake Dekay’s brownsnake Dekay’s brown snake |
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Glossary
Anal plate
In snakes: the large scale in front of and covering the anus. In turtles: one of the posterior plates of the lower shell (plastron). In Lepidoptera: the often hardened shield on the dorsal surface of the last (10th) segment of the abdomen.
Cloaca
The single posterior cavity, often called the vent, that serves as an opening for the release of intestinal waste, urinary waste, and sperm in most vertebrates (except most mammals) and some invertebrates.
Visitor Photos |
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Jen Kwasny |
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Brown snake? |
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Seen today in Mankato, MN – wasn’t sure if it was a brown snake or not. |
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Mike B. |
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SpataMom |
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moved a propane tank that had been sitting under our camper and found this little guy. |
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Babette Kis |
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Dekay's brown snake Storeria dekayi |
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Dekay's brown snake, photographed on gravel roadside at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on Sept. 16, 2017. |
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Vivian |
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| found coming out of the shower |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
Storeria Dekayi Dekayi (Northern Brown Snake) |
About
Uploaded on Jun 19, 2009 just some pics and info on Northern Brown Snakes, hope it's some help to some people. enjoy! :) |
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Other Videos |
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Northern Brown Snake Storeria dekayi |
About
Published on Sep 1, 2012 |
Dekay’s brown snake |
About
Uploaded on Aug 2, 2011 Dekay’s brown snake Description: 10-20 3/4" (25.4-52.7 cm). Small; gray, yellowish-brown, brown, or reddish-brown, with 2 parallel rows of small dark spots bordering an indistinct wide light back stripe. Belly pale yellow, brown, or pinkish with small black dots along edges. Young have yellowish collar. Scales keeled, in 17 rows. Anal plate divided. Subspecies: Seven; 4 in our range. Wide zones of intergradation occur between races. Breeding: Live-bearing. Mates spring and fall; 3-31 young, 3 1/4-4 1/2" (8-11 cm) long, are born June to September. Similar Species: Florida Brown Snake (S. victa), formerly considered a subspecies of Dekay's, has 15 scale rows (all Dekay's have 17) and a light band across head; it occurs from se. Georgia to the Florida Keys. Habitat: Moist upland woodland to lowland freshwater and saltwater marshes; margins of swamps, bogs and ponds; vacant lots, gardens, golf courses. Range: S. Maine, s. Quebec, and s. Minnesota, south to Florida panhandle, and through Texas and Mexico to n. Honduras. Discussion: Diurnal, but nocturnal in warm weather. Hides under flat rocks, logs, or trash. Usually found near water or damp places. Feeds on earthworms, slugs and snails. Large numbers may congregate to hibernate together. |
Herping With Dylan: Dekay's Brownsnake |
About
Uploaded on Apr 8, 2008 This small snake is a regular along the road we were walking along, unfortunately as they make their way across the road many do not make it to the other side. These snakes have live birth and mate April through May, so in the coming weeks we may see many newborns in that area. |
Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi) on the Spring Valley Trail - Ancaster, Ontario |
About
Published on May 21, 2013 A Brown snake (Storeria dekayi) I found on a hike on the Spring Valley trail in Ancaster, Ontario. Storeria dekayi, commonly known as the brown snake or De Kay's snake, is a small species of colubrid snake. It is native to Southern Ontario and Quebec, most of the eastern half of the United States, through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and possibly El Salvador. Dorsally it is brown to gray with a lighter center stripe bordered by small black spots; ventrally it is lighter brown or pink with small black dots at the ends of the ventral scales.[5] Adults usually measure less than 12 inches (30 cm), but the record size is 192⁄8 inches (49 cm). It has keeled dorsal scales, and no loreal scale. Like other Natricine snakes (such as watersnakes, genus Nerodia; and gartersnakes, genus Thamnophis), Storeria dekayi are ovoviviparous. It eats earthworms, slugs, snails, and most other small insects. The specific name, dekayi, is in honor of American zoologist James Ellsworth De Kay (1792--1851), who collected the first specimen in Long Island, New York, while the generic name, Storeria, honors zoologist David Humphreys Storer. This is the only North American snake whose binomial is a double honorific - that is, both the generic name and the specific name honor people. |
Northern Brown snake (Storeria dekayi dekayi) |
About
Published on Jun 20, 2014 Here are several brown snakes that I found in Bucks County Pennsylvania. You can clearly see some of the variations among individuals of the same species. Always a happy find while herping. (thumbnail photo ©Christopher Egnoto |
Visitor Sightings |
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Kay Loeffler |
Location: Alexandria Mn |
| Jen Kwasny 8/2/2023 |
Location: Mankato, MN Seen today in Mankato, MN – wasn’t sure if it was a brown snake or not. |
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| John Valo 8/2/2023 |
Yes, this is a Dekay’s brown snake. The two rows of small black dots on the back are diagnostic. |
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| SpataMom 7/14/2023 |
Location: Blackhoof Lake, Ironton, MN moved a propane tank that had been sitting under our camper and found this little guy. |
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| Ruth Jackson 9/25/2020 |
Location: 4 miles south of St. Cloud |
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| Mike B. 6/1/2020 |
Location: Sherburne County |
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| Vivian 5/13/2018 |
Location: The Woodlands, TX (Houston suburb) found coming out of the shower |
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| Babette Kis 9/16/2017 |
Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI … photographed on gravel roadside at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on Sept. 16, 2017. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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