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Eastern brown snake
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Elapidae Genus: Pseudonaja Species: P. textilis
Binomial name
Pseudonaja peregrinus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854

The Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis), sometimes referred to as the Common Brown Snake, is an elapid snake native to Australia and parts of New Guinea. It is one of the world's deadliest land snakes. This, combined with it occuring on the well-populated East coast of Australia, has resulted in fatalities. Image File history File links Acap. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Reptilia redirects here. ... Suborders Lacertilia- Lizards Serpentes - Snakes Amphisbaenia - Worm lizards This article is about the Squamata order of reptiles. ... Families Acrochordidae Aniliidae Anomalepididae Anomochilidae Atractaspididae Boidae Bolyeriidae Colubridae Cylindrophiidae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Leptotyphlopidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Typhlopidae Uropeltidae Viperidae Xenopeltidae Snakes are cold blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. ... The Elapidae, or elapids, are a family of highly venomous snakes found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. ... Pseudonaja is a genus of venomous elapid snakes known commonly as brown snakes. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Constant Duméril. ... Gabriel Bibron (1806 - 1848) was a French zoologist. ... Auguste Duméril. ... The Elapidae, or elapids, are a family of highly venomous snakes found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. ...

Description

Adult Eastern Brown Snakes are incredibly variable in colour. Whilst usually a uniform shade of brown, they can feature various patterning including speckles and bands. They range from a very pale fawn colour, right through to black, including orange, silver, yellow and grey. Juveniles have a black head, with a lighter band behind, a black nape, and numerous red-brown spots on the belly. Occasionally they have dark cross-bands. They have 17 rows of mid-body scales, a divided anal scale and 45–75 divided sub caudal scales. Most specimens reach around 1.5 metres in total length, with very rare animals exceeding two metres.

Distribution and habitat

The Eastern Brown Snake is found all the way along the east coast of Australia, from the tip of Cape York, along the coasts and inland ranges of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Some specimens can be found in arid areas of the Northern Territory. There are also very limited numbers in Papua New Guinea. Due to its diet of mainly rodents, it can be found near houses and farms. Categories: Australia geography stubs | Peninsulas | Headlands ...

Eastern Brown Snake, Bundeena, Australia (September 2007)

It occupies a varied range of habitats from wet to dry sclerophyll forests (Eucalypt forests) and heaths of coastal ranges, through to savannah woodlands, inner grasslands and arid scrublands. It is not found in rainforests or wet areas. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 226 pixelsFull resolution (2813 × 793 pixel, file size: 6. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 226 pixelsFull resolution (2813 × 793 pixel, file size: 6. ...

Behaviour

The Eastern Brown snake is diurnal, meaning it is active during the day.. When highly agitated, they will hold their necks high, appearing in a somewhat upright S-shape. Despite their fearsome reputation, brown snakes are reluctant to bite and react only to movement. Standing still when in close proximity to one will result in it ignoring you. Brown snakes are particularly attracted to rural and farming areas, most probably due to the large amounts of rodents that live in such an environment. These areas normally have lots of rubbish and cover, offering shelter for the brown snakes. A diurnal animal (dī-ŭrnəl) is an animal that is active during the daytime and sleeps during the night. ...

Diet

Being an opportunistic feeder, the Eastern Brown will consume almost any verterbrate animal that it can. This includes frogs, lizards, snakes, birds and rodents.

Venom

The Eastern Brown Snake is the second most venomous land snake in the world after the Inland Taipan.^[1] Although Eastern Browns will seek to avoid a confrontation, it has a very toxic venom, and when bitten can cause death. Sub-adults have been known to cause fatalities in humans. The venom contains both neurotoxins and blood coagulants.^[2] Binomial name Range of Inland Taipan (in red) The Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), also known as the Small Scaled Snake and Fierce Snake is a highly venomous snake that lives in Australia, notorious for having the most potent venom of any species of snake in the world. ... A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells, or neurons, usually by interacting with membrane proteins and ion channels. ... The coagulation of blood is a complex process during which blood forms solid clots. ...

Known fatalities

• A 16-year-old boy from Sydney died on 13th January 2007 after being bitten on the hand in a reserve at Whalan.^[3]
• A 9-year-old girl Milena Swilks from Rocky River, south of Armidale in rural New South Wales, died on the 8th March 2007 after being bitten on the foot whilst picking corn. She collapsed and was taken to hospital unconscious, with the cause not known until her death two hours later. Her brother, 18-year-old Chris searched for a snake after noticing that his sisters foot was blistering, and as a result went to the garden in search of a snake, but was interrupted when Milena collapsed.

Despite their incredibly potent venom, the "Pressure Immobilisation" first-aid technique is incredibly effective, as it is for all Australian venomous snakes. With correct first-aid applied, and safety protocols followed, the chances of death from Eastern Brown Snake are minimal. Whalan is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... Not to be confused with Armadale. ...

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2007)

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Reproduction

Eastern Brown Snakes mate during spring. where males can be found to engage in 'ritual combat' with another male to dominate and displace the other's territory. The most dominant male will mate with females in the area, to which the female will produce a clutch of 10-40 eggs in late spring or early summer. Females will not guard the nest once the eggs are laid - the juvenile snakes are totally indepenant of the mother.

Fallacies

Despite their fearsome reputation, Eastern Brown Snakes are not "aggressive". When cornered or confronted, they will defend themselves with vigour, but just like all reptiles they will not seek out confrontation. They are animals of instinct, and instinct tells them to avoid situations where they may come into harms way.

No Australian snake has ever been documented chasing a human, or any other non-prey item for that matter.

Brown Snakes do not guard their young, or look after their nest.

Large Eastern Brown Snakes are not "King Brown" snakes. King Browns (Pseudechis australis) are an entirely separate species that does not occur on the East coast of Australia until north of Townsville.

References

1. ^ http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/crochunter/australiazoo/10mostvenomous.html
2. ^ http://www.toxinology.com/generic_static_files/cslavh_antivenom_brown.html
3. ^ http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/01/14/1168709615872.html

• Animal Planet
• The Australian Reptile Park
• Australia Zoo