With last week’s warm temperatures and sunny days, many critters took advantage of the ideal autumn conditions and were out hunting or in search of their soon to be used winter hideaways. This seemed to be the case for a little DeKay’s Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi) that was found slithering across a forest road in the Finger Lakes National Forest by my husband and me. The little snake was soaking up the sun and was moving towards the leaf litter of the nearby forest floor, a place they often seek prey and hide in. As the snake was making its journey we took a few snapshots…
As you can see, this little male was smaller than a sugar maple leaf. DeKay’s snakes are typically between 9-13 inches in length and rarely exceed 20 inches.
These snakes can be identified by their small heads, and two distinct rows of black dots running down their backs.
Brown snakes often avoid being out in the open as they are snack-sized prey for a number of predators, including birds, large frogs and other snakes. This little one attempted to take refuge underneath my husband’s bicycle tire.
Knowing that the underside of a bike tire wasn’t the safest place for the snake, we carefully lifted the bike up and moved it away from him. The snake began to flick its tongue in order to pick up nearby scents and scent trails.
Feeling exposed to a possible large threat (i.e. my camera), the brown snake turned to positioning itself in an “S” posture, to warn us of the threat he posed.
Shortly after positioning himself, he struck, showing off his big mouth. If we were a slug, snail or small insect having that mouth coming at us would have been life-threatening. To humans however, these snakes are quite harmless. Interestingly, DeKay’s brown snakes have strong jaw muscles and elongated teeth on the upper jaw enabling them to grab snails and extract them from their shells within about 10 minutes, or easily make a meal out of a slippery slug.
After demonstrating his defensive display, he continued his journey towards the safety of the leaf litter.
Once in the leaves, the brown snake was perfectly hidden from sight from us and any other potential threats nearby.
As the warm days are quickly coming to an end and colder temperatures are moving across the region, be watchful for any small reptiles, amphibians, mammals and more moving towards their winter refuges or eating a last meal before entering into hibernation. With that said, get outside and enjoy the beautiful area, you never know what you might come across!
Elyse Henshaw
Conservation Technician
