Dekay's Brownsnake
Storeria dekayi
Summary 5
Storeria dekayi, commonly known as the brown snake or De Kay's snake, is a small species of snake in the family Colubridae.
Description 5
Dorsally, Storeria dekayi 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. Adults usually measure less than 12 inches (30 cm) in total length (including tail), but the record total length is 19 3⁄8 inches (49 cm). It has keeled dorsal scales, and no loreal scale.
Behavior: 6
Inhabiting moister habitats, Storeria dekayi is able to find and feed on insect and annelid prey, including insect larvae. Annecdotal accounts mention S. dekayi being found in open lots and fields in urban settings, though persistant pesticide use has eradicated most of these populations. Non-venomous, S. dekayi will not bite when picked up, but it may flatten its neck in a threat display.
Coloration: 6
Light tan middorsal stripe running the length of the body.
Middorsal stripe is three scale rows wide and is in contrast to darker background color, which may range from red to brown to dark tan.
Yellowish or pink ventral scale surface is usually unmarked with pigment, save a row of black spots along ventral and dorsal scale junction.
There are two recognized subspecies of S. dekayi found in Texas.
Diet 5
Storeria dekayi primarily feeds on slugs, snails, and earthworms. They have specialized jaws that allow them to remove snails from their shells for consumption. Reports of other invertebrates (such as woodlice, mites, or millipedes) in the diet of S. dekayi are more than likely the result of accidental ingestion rather than intentional feeding, in which one of these invertebrates may have adhered to a slug or other prey item being consumed by Storeria dekayi.
Habitat: 6
Storeria dekayi favors moist habitats, preferably under objects such as tin, wood and stones, or in habitats favoring moisture, such as canyons and bottom lands.
Size: 6
Adult Storeria dekayi typically measure 24-30.5 cm (9.5-12 in) in length.
Texas Distribution: 6
In Texas, Storeria dekayi is found through most of the state, save the drier regions, such as the Panhandle and the Trans-Pecos.
Conservation Status: 6
Dekay's brownsnake is not a protected species in Texas and can be legally collected with a hunting license.
Interesting Facts 7
The Dekay's brown snake is commonly found in yards under leaf litter and rotting debris. They are very small in size, reaching no more than a foot in length, with smaller individuals being more common.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Lee Elliott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Lee Elliott
- (c) csparr, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by csparr
- (c) Jonathan Foise, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jonathan Foise
- (c) Ronnie Richerson, all rights reserved, uploaded by Ronnie Richerson
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storeria_dekayi
- (c) Caleb Paul, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/776614
- (c) nsmolensky_swca, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/853791
