Animal
DeKay's brownsnake
Storeria dekayi
Also known as: northern brown snake
A small (9–13 inches) non-venomous snake — among the smallest snakes native to the eastern U.S. — and one of the most-common snakes in NYC including Staten Island. Adapted to urban-and-suburban conditions: eats earthworms and slugs almost exclusively, requires only small territories, persists in tiny patches of habitat (vacant lots, residential yards, park edges). Often the snake a borough resident finds under a stepping stone or in a basement window well.
Scientific
Storeria dekayi is a 9–13 inch non-venomous colubrid. Brown to grey-brown with two parallel rows of small dark spots on the back. Diet almost exclusively earthworms and slugs — both cylindrical-bodied prey that fit the snake’s narrow gape.
The species is exceptionally tolerant of urban conditions. Small territories (often less than half an acre), small home ranges, and a diet of common urban-soil invertebrates allow it to persist in habitat patches too small for almost any other snake species. NYC populations are among the highest-density urban-snake populations documented in the U.S.
Defensive behavior includes flattening the body and releasing a foul musk; bites are very rare and harmless.
On Staten Island
Common across the borough’s parks, residential yards, vacant lots, and small habitat patches. Frequently encountered when residents lift stepping stones, garden ornaments, or rocks in flower beds. The borough’s smallest snake species.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Member of: [[animal]]
- Contained by: [[staten-island]]
Sources
- [[beacon-ny|New York]] State DEC reptile species records
- NYC Parks Wildlife Unit observations
- Long-term Storeria urban-ecology literature
Rooted in life.
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