Storeria dekayi
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a DeKay's Brownsnake sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 27 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.
May
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a DeKay's Brownsnake in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and December–February, 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.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate DeKay's Brownsnake sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, about 30%) and Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the DeKay's Brownsnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (60 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
