Black-striped Snake vs. DeKay's Brownsnake

Two small brown snakes of the leaf litter and gardens of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (the Texas Brownsnake). A: Three solid black stripes: one down the middle, one on each side in the Black-striped Snake; two rows of small dark spots; no solid stripes in the DeKay's Brownsnake. B: A pale line from the snout over the eye to the neck in the Black-striped Snake; a dark blotch on the side of the neck and below the eye in the DeKay's Brownsnake. C: Smooth and shiny in the Black-striped Snake; keeled (a ridge down each scale) in the DeKay's Brownsnake. D: Red to orange in the Black-striped Snake; pale pink to cream, with a few small dark dots at the edges in the DeKay's Brownsnake. The Black-striped Snake has mildly venomous rear fangs; the brownsnake is harmless.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

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• Ring-necked Snake vs. DeKay's Brownsnake
• Great Plains Ground Snake vs. DeKay's Brownsnake
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• Pine Woods Littersnake vs. DeKay's Brownsnake
• Southeastern Crowned Snake vs. DeKay's Brownsnake

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