Haldea striatula
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Virginia striatula (formerly Haldea striatula), commonly called the rough earth snake, is a species of nonvenomous natricine colubrid snake native to the Southeastern United States. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766, as Coluber striatulus. Over the next two and a half centuries its scientific name has been changed several times (see synonyms). Most recently, the generic name was changed back again from Haldea to Virginia in 2023.
Other common names for Virginia striatula include: brown ground snake, brown snake, ground snake, little brown snake, little striped snake, small brown viper, small-eyed brown snake, southern ground snake, striated viper, and worm snake.
The rough earth snake is found from southern Virginia to northern Florida, west along the Gulf Coast to southern Texas, and north into south-central Missouri and southeastern Kansas. It is also present in northern parts of Oklahoma.
Virginia striatula is a small, harmless, secretive, fairly slender snake, 7–10 inches (18–25 cm) in total length (including tail). It has a round pupil, weakly keeled dorsal scales, and usually a divided... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rough Earthsnake sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 455 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 11th most-seen of the 37 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rough Earthsnake in Austin on a given day, against about 10% in June–July and September, the lowest months.
Yes
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Rough Earthsnake sightings, Austin has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Dallas (United States, about 20%) and Houston (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Rough Earthsnake that you can see in Austin (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Plain-bellied Water Snake (about 30%), Western Rat Snake (about 30%) and Western Ribbon Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rough Earthsnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Austin (455 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
