‹ Compare two snakes
DeKay's Brownsnake vs Rough Earthsnake
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(c) Michael J. Papay, some rights reserved (CC BY)
DeKay's Brownsnake
Storeria dekayi
Non-venomous(c) shinylatias, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Rough Earthsnake
Virginia striatula
Non-venomousThe quick way to tell
Look at the back. The Rough Earthsnake is plain brown or gray with no spots. DeKay's Brownsnake usually has two rows of small dark spots down the back.
Pattern ★ This settles it
Pale stripe down a brown back between two rows of small dark spots.
No pattern: plain brown, gray-brown or gray above with a cream to pale yellow belly. The back scales have a small ridge. Young snakes are darker and may have a pale gray or white band across the neck.
Head
Small head, often with a dark mark behind the jaw.
Small, pointed, cone-shaped head that is darkest toward the snout; the lower lip scales and chin are white.
Eyes
Round pupil, small dark eye; no heat-sensing pit.
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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 and plain, colored like the body.
What it does
Slow and inoffensive; hides under boards and bricks.
Lives mostly underground or under cover and is seldom seen in the open. It does not usually bite when picked up but may release musk or droppings, or play dead by going stiff with its mouth open.
Where it lives
Eastern and central US: southern Maine and southern Canada south through Florida, west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas.
Southern US: mainly the Coastal Plain from Virginia and the Carolinas south to northern Florida and west to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and southeastern Kansas. Largely absent from peninsular Florida and the lower Mississippi River Valley.