Storeria dekayi
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Storeria dekayi, commonly known as De Kay's brown snake, De Kay's snake, and simply the brown snake (along with many other snakes), is a small non-venomous species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to North America and Central America.
S. dekayi is native to Southern Ontario and Quebec, most of the eastern half of the United States, through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and possibly El Salvador. More specifically, this common species inhabits most wetland and terrestrial habitats east of the Great Plains from sea level to 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) above sea level.
Dorsally, S. 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). On average, juveniles measured 3 inches (7.68 cm) just after being born. The dorsal scales are keeled, and it has no loreal scale. Females exceed males in snout–vent length and number of ventral scales while males exceed females in tail... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Ecomuseum Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Snake Discovery: A Reptile Experience | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a DeKay's Brownsnake sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 125 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 6th most-seen of the 11 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a DeKay's Brownsnake in Chicago on a given day, against under 5% in December to March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most DeKay's Brownsnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 13
Of the 13 cities where we can rate DeKay's Brownsnake sightings, Chicago ranks 12th at about 10%. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, about 40%), Philadelphia (United States, about 30%) and Washington (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the DeKay's Brownsnake that you can see in Chicago (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Plains Garter Snake (about 10%), Common Garter Snake (about 10%) and Common Watersnake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the DeKay's Brownsnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Chicago (125 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.
