DeKay's Brownsnake

DeKay's Brownsnake

Storeria dekayi

Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Dallas

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

88 Verified sightings at Dallas
167 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the DeKay's Brownsnake

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
3 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
~20%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
5 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
6 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Ecomuseum Zoo 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
3 Houston Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
4 Snake Discovery: A Reptile Experience 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a DeKay's Brownsnake in Dallas?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a DeKay's Brownsnake sighting in Dallas on a given day, based on 88 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 17th most-seen of the 33 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.

When is the best time to see a DeKay's Brownsnake in Dallas?

March to November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a DeKay's Brownsnake in Dallas on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a DeKay's Brownsnake?

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.

Is Dallas the best place to see a DeKay's Brownsnake?

11th of 13

Of the 13 cities where we can rate DeKay's Brownsnake sightings, Dallas ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, about 40%), Philadelphia (United States, about 30%) and Washington (United States, about 20%).

Where does the DeKay's Brownsnake sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the DeKay's Brownsnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Dallas (88 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.

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