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It was in the high 60s today; apparently warm enough for some snakes. I found a very small snake in my yard that I cannot identify. Description and location below.

Simpsonville, SC (Greenville county).
Found while working in an area covered with pine bark mulch.
Area is relatively dry (by SC standards) and not near water.

Snake
Top is brownish gray with dark brown spots. Spots are prevalent at the head and first third of the length but fade away about half way down. The snake has a slight sheen in sunlight both on top and its underbelly. Underbelly is uniformly offwhite. Single scale at vent. Scales appear slightly keeled but the snake is so small that it is difficult to be sure. The snake is 7"-8" long and slightly less than 1/4" diameter at it widest point. The shape of the head and the eyes remind me of a common gray ratsnake but the colors don't seem consistent with a ratsnake.

It has not tried to bite when handled but did flip musk and uric acid around.

I've looked in my NA Field Guide and cannot ID this one from the book. Any help you could provide would be appreciated. What to feed such a small snake would also be helpful.

>>It was in the high 60s today; apparently warm enough for some snakes. I found a very small snake in my yard that I cannot identify. Description and location below.
>>
>>Simpsonville, SC (Greenville county).
>>Found while working in an area covered with pine bark mulch.
>>Area is relatively dry (by SC standards) and not near water.
>>
>>Snake
>>Top is brownish gray with dark brown spots. Spots are prevalent at the head and first third of the length but fade away about half way down. The snake has a slight sheen in sunlight both on top and its underbelly. Underbelly is uniformly offwhite. Single scale at vent. Scales appear slightly keeled but the snake is so small that it is difficult to be sure. The snake is 7"-8" long and slightly less than 1/4" diameter at it widest point. The shape of the head and the eyes remind me of a common gray ratsnake but the colors don't seem consistent with a ratsnake.
>>
>>It has not tried to bite when handled but did flip musk and uric acid around.
>>
>>I've looked in my NA Field Guide and cannot ID this one from the book. Any help you could provide would be appreciated. What to feed such a small snake would also be helpful.
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Chris Harrison

...he was beginning to realize he was the creature of a god that appreciated the discomfort of his worshippers - W. Somerset Maugham

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Juvinile Black Racer

Thanks for the pic you provided. The spots on the snake I found are much smaller and there are multiple rows of spots going down the length of the snake. The spots are about 1/16" diameter (pretty small). Also, the snake I found does not have eyes that bulge out from the side and its eyes are not big like a typical racer.

For several reasons.

The description in my field guide says the young have a yellowish collar. This snake has no hint of a collar. The picture of the Brown Snake I have shows scales strongly keeled and the one I found had very lightly keeled scales. Also, Brown Snakes typically are found in wet areas and the one I found was a very long way from water.

The real kicker is the anal plate. My field guide says the Brown Snake anal plate is divided but the snake I found does not have a divided anal plate.

All that being said, the picture of the adult Brown Snake in my field guide is pretty close to the Snake I found. Only differences are the scales are less keeled on the one I found, the nose less flat (more pointed), and spots fade away at mid-length vs near the tail on the Brown Snake.

I would post a picture but have no site to host pictures.

>>I would post a picture but have no site to host pictures.

Actually, you have available a free 1 MB account here at Kingsnake. Go here to sign up. Then go here for some help with how to upload photos.

-Joan

Hopefully, I have a picture or two posted here of the snake I'm trying to ID.

Any ideas?

One more time.

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Brown Snake

>>One more time.
>>
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Chris Harrison

...he was beginning to realize he was the creature of a god that appreciated the discomfort of his worshippers - W. Somerset Maugham

Here it is again.

its "dekays"brown snake i catch them all the time

OK, but I still don't think so unless my field guide is wrong about the vent scale being split. The snake I caught does not have a split vent scale.

It is a brown or dekay snake.

Fourthed or fifthed or whatever it is now... that's a brown snake (Storeria dekayi). Regarding anal plates--I think either you've got one with an odd scale abnormality (which I haven't heard of happening before, but I wouldn't be surprised if it occurs every now and then), or you've got a snake small enough that its ventral plate can't be made out well enough to see the division. And, btw, it looks to be either a young adult or close to it--hatchlings, believe it or not, are much smaller.

Patrick Alexander

It's true that browns generally have a divided anal but they can occasionally break this rule. They also normally have a collar and lateral stripes which yours does not. At any rate the key to IDing storeria is the lack of a loreal scale infront of the eye. I believe this trait is exclusive to storeria, atleast among snakes in Ontario. Of the two storeria, the red-belly and the brown, dakayi is definitly the most likely species.

Hope this helps

Cam Hanna

I checked for lack of the loreal scale and it is missing. Nothing between the nasals and the preoculars. If this is definitive ID then it is a Brown Snake.

The odd part is the vent scale is clearly not split. I'm not that old that my eyes deceive me. The other things I find odd are the belly is almost white (versus pale yellow/brown) and the snake is very active during daylight. I had thought Brown Snakes were nocturnal for the most part.

Its pretty warm here the last few days. I'll be returning it to the woods tomorrow.