Garter snakes vs Dekay's brown snakes. What's the difference?
Well, for starters, dekay's brown snakes average at a much smaller adult size than garter snakes, with fully-grown common garter snakes averaging at around 2-3 feet (record 4 ft!) And full-grown Dekay's brown snakes averaging at about 9-13 Inches (record of 19 inches.)
Another major difference is the coloration and pattern. Dekay's brown snakes are always some shade of..well, brown! They can range from darker to lighter browns, or even gray, but just that. Eastern or Common Garter snakes are typically some shade of green, with a (sometimes more than others) pronounced yellow-white stripe on its back.
While dekay's brown snakes also have a lighter back stripe, it is much less visible. Dekay's brown snakes and Garters both have markings next to these lines. However, in dekay's brown snakes, these are a row or two of dots. In Common/Eastern garters, a checkerboard pattern is present.
Another diffetence between the two, is that while dekay's brown snakes are entirely non-venomous, garter snakes have a very mild, harmless (if you have no allergy) venom!
![image](https://media.coldblooded.com/upload/photos/2024/01/ps9vOU51qXWZlToA7j9l_28_0a3e0a83361c16913317d812daf9e49a_image_small.jpg)
![image](https://media.coldblooded.com/upload/photos/2024/01/7kgQ4LXAx9BymMkE8bLd_28_ac73f2d4e959d9efcefa13ac1bd7a9e3_image_small.jpg)