Haldea striatula
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rough Earthsnake sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 329 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 8th most-seen of the 30 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–March, August and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rough Earthsnake in Houston on a given day, against about 10% in April–July, September and November–December, the lowest months.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Rough Earthsnake sightings, Houston ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 20%) and Dallas (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Rough Earthsnake that you can see in Houston (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Banded Water Snake (about 20%), Western Ribbon Snake (about 20%) and Plain-bellied Water 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 Houston (329 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.
