Eastern brown snake

The eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis), often referred to as the common brown snake, is a species of venomous elapid snake of the genus Pseudonaja. This snake is considered the world's second most venomous land snake based on its LD₅₀ value (SC) in mice. It is native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.

Description

Adult eastern brown snakes are highly variable in colour. Whilst usually a uniform shade of brown, they can have various patterns including speckles and bands, and range from a very pale fawn colour through to black, including orange, silver, yellow and grey. Juveniles can be banded and have a black head, with a lighter band behind, a black nape, and numerous red-brown spots on the belly.

This species has an average total length (including tail) of 1.1–1.8 m (3.6–5.9 ft). The maximum recorded size for the species is 2.4 m (7.9 ft), although any specimen of greater than 2 m (6.6 ft) in total length would be considered exceptionally large. Large eastern brown snakes are often confused with "king brown" snakes (Pseudechis australis), whose habitat they share in many areas.