I.D. snake in Georgia (USA), please

[dhave]

A friend just sent this. Can anyone identify it, please? Thanks.

[poison123]

My first thought was a dekays brown snake (Storeria dekayi) but the pic is very blurry.

[ReptiWorldWide]

Originally Posted by poison123

My first thought was a dekays brown snake (Storeria dekayi) but the pic is very blurry.

I agree with poison123, depending on it's size, I think it is a dekays brown snake, but the pixelation of the image makes it very difficult to say for sure.

[dhave]

Thank you, both, for the i.d. Yes, the photo is way out of focus. I'm guessing that (1) it's a small snake and (2) my friend was a long way away. I've never seen a Dekays Brown, so I'm glad to know they're in the area. When I saw the long stripe I thought maybe it was a strangely colored garter snake, but I couldn't find any similar photos.

Because I was a snake fancier when I was a boy, I occasionally get requests from old friends to identify a snake they've found in their yard or driveway. Most are some kind of rat snake, but sometimes they're more challenging to i.d. I'll ask them to get better photos and upload them here.

I'm amazed at how unsure I am about my identification skills after 50 years away from the hobby. I thought I knew more than I know, or maybe I've just forgotten.

[Saurian]

I would say a Dekays as well. Some call the little brown snakes but they are two separate species with the little brown being in the lower eastern part of Georgia and Florida. Both look almost the same and are harmless.

[Hawk]

Looking for a Dekays brown snake, I’ll pay shipping and stuff email me please at hawk.villa21@gmail.com