‹ Compare two snakes
DeKay's Brownsnake vs Ring-necked Snake
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(c) Michael J. Papay, some rights reserved (CC BY)
DeKay's Brownsnake
Storeria dekayi
Non-venomous(c) Zakqary Roy, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Ring-necked Snake
Diadophis punctatus
Mildly venomousThe quick way to tell
Look at the neck. The Ring-necked Snake has a bright yellow-orange collar. DeKay's Brownsnake has none.
Head ★ This settles it
Small head, often with a dark mark behind the jaw.
Small plain head, no wider than the neck.
Pattern
Pale stripe down a brown back between two rows of small dark spots.
Plain slate gray with a bright yellow to red neck ring and matching belly.
Eyes
Round pupil, small dark eye; no heat-sensing pit.
Round pupil, small dark eye; no heat-sensing pit.
Pits
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
Tail
Short; no rattle.
Short, brightly coloured underneath; no rattle.
What it does
Slow and inoffensive; hides under boards and bricks.
Curls its tail into a tight coil to show the bright underside.
Where it lives
Eastern and central US: southern Maine and southern Canada south through Florida, west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas.
Most of the US except the northern plains and driest desert, plus southern Canada and parts of Mexico.